Former British number one doubles player Tara Moore has been handed a four-year ban after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) upheld an appeal by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The 32-year-old had initially been cleared of an anti-doping rule violation, but Cas overturned that decision.
Moore was provisionally suspended in June 2022 after a blood sample tested positive for the prohibited anabolic steroids nandrolone and boldenone. She maintained she never knowingly took a banned substance, and an independent tribunal initially ruled that contaminated meat was the source. However, Cas found that Moore did not prove the nandrolone concentration was consistent with meat contamination.
The ITIA's chief executive, Karen Moorhouse, said the bar for appealing was high, but independent scientific advice indicated the player did not adequately explain the high nandrolone level. Moore, who lost 19 months during the initial process, has had her ban backdated to Tuesday, with credit for provisional suspension served.
Moore, currently ranked 187th in doubles and 864th in singles, had also filed a cross-appeal seeking to dismiss the ITIA's case, but Cas declared it inadmissible. She previously expressed frustration over her reputation and livelihood being affected during the suspension.
