British tennis star takes legal action against WTA after being hit with four-year ban

Tara Moore has "filed arbitration" against the Women's Tennis Association and the International Tennis Integrity Agency after receiving a four-year doping ban. Moore was provisionally suspended in May 2022 after testing positive for two banned substances, nandrolone and boldenone, during a tournament in Bogota, Colombia.

But she was cleared to return to competition in December 2023 after an independent tribunal ruled that 33-year-old "bore no fault of negligence" and that contaminated meat was the source of the positive test. The ITIA appealed this decision, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the appeal, banning Moore for four years.

The former British doubles No. 1 will be credited for the 19 months she served during her provisional suspension.

After the CAS ruling was announced last month, an emotional Moore released a statement declaring that she was "innocent".

And she is now set to take legal action against the women's tennis tour and the ITIA - the body which is responsible for administering the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.

In a new statement on Tuesday, Moore wrote: "Many have asked what my next move will be. We need to bring attention to the flaws in these organisations. My fight is not over.

"My fight for justice isn't over. The WTA & ITIA failed to warn me about the known risk of meat contamination in Bogota that wrecked my career.

"I've filed arbitration against both of them for the pain they have caused me. I can't comment further because it is a confidential arbitration. Thank you to everyone for your support."

After Moore was initially cleared by an independent tribunal, she returned to competition in April 2024. She mostly competed on the ITF circuit, but competed in three Grand Slam main draws.

Following the CAS ruling, she cannot return to competition until early 2028.

In a statement last month, CAS said: "After reviewing the scientific and legal evidence, the majority of the Cas panel considered that the player did not succeed in proving that the concentration of nandrolone in her sample was consistent with the ingestion of contaminated meat.

"The panel concluded that Ms Moore failed to establish that the ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) was not intentional. The appeal by the ITIA is therefore upheld and the decision rendered by the Independent Tribunal is set aside."

ITIA Chief Executive Officer Karen Moorhouse said: "For the ITIA, every case is considered according to the individual facts and circumstances.

"Our bar for appealing a first instance decision is high, and the decision is not taken lightly. In this case, our independent scientific advice was that the player did not adequately explain the high level of nandrolone present in their sample. Today's ruling is consistent with this position.

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