The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne issued a statement on Friday evening, February 9, regarding Simona Halep's hearing.
Simona Halep at the hearings in Lausanne PHOTO EPA
Simona Halep appeared for three days before the TAS judges. The double Grand Slam champion hopes to get a reduction of the four-year ban she received in the doping case, writes GSP.
“The hearings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the arbitration proceedings CAS 2023/A/10025 Simona Halep v. International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and TAS 2023/A/10227 International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) v. Simona Halep s- they concluded today, at around 4:30 p.m., with the final pleadings of the parties. Everything went according to schedule.
The parties were informed that the TAS jury will deliberate from now on and draw up the arbitral award containing the decision and its reasoning. No date has been set for the publication of a final decision“, it is stated in the statement published on the TAS website.
Two different files are mentioned in the TAS statement. A call made by Simona Halep and one made by ITIA.
Howard Jacobs, Simona Halep's lawyer, said of the CAS hearings: “I have nothing to add. You talked to Simona. We had a long hearing and we will await the outcome. We can't say anything else. Our arguments have been heard. We will have to wait for the final decision. I have to wait, I can't say anything else. I don't know how long we will have to wait for the final verdict.“
Simona Halep says she was given a chance
The Romanian athlete left the hearings at around 4:30 p.m., and gave a short statement to the Romanian reporters present at the scene, after which she also spoke to foreign media institutions.
“I can't tell you absolutely anything about what was at the hearing, but I can say that this hearing gave me a chance to present my defense. I want to tell you that my confidence is intact regarding the truth.
I am very confident that the truth will come out and it will be proven that I never had the intention of doping and I never did. I want and look forward to getting back on the field.
That's where I want to be and I'll definitely try to do my best. We will talk when I have the opportunity, when I can say more. We will meet again shortly. No one knows when the verdict will come“said Simona Halep.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the hearings exceeded, cumulatively, 19 hours. Witnesses and experts were heard, both on the spot and via video conference.
