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Goncalo Oliveira Banned Four Years After Methamphetamine Positive as Tribunal Rejects 'Kissing' Defense

The ITIA decision sets his return date for January 16, 2029.

Overview

  • Oliveira tested positive in November 2024 at an ATP Challenger event in Manzanillo, Mexico, with both A and B samples confirming methamphetamine.
  • An independent tribunal ruled he failed to provide clear, cogent, persuasive or concrete evidence for unintentional contamination via kissing or environmental exposure.
  • The sanction includes forfeiture of results, prize money and ranking points from Manzanillo and from subsequent tournaments before his provisional suspension.
  • Provisionally suspended in January 2025, he receives credit for time served and is barred from competing, coaching or attending sanctioned events during ineligibility.
  • Methamphetamine is a non-specified stimulant under WADA rules, and the case draws comparisons to rare intimate-contact defenses in past rulings involving Richard Gasquet and Ysaora Thibus.