An independent wellbeing support service is available for any player or other individual who is part of a Tennis Anti-Doping or Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme process. This is provided by Sporting Chance, an independent health and wellbeing organisation established specifically to support sportspeople.
The programme will provide confidential, compassionate, professional psychological care during ITIA proceedings. The service offers tailored support to help you manage anxiety, protect your wellbeing, and help you maintain as stable and structured personal life as possible during this period.
If you have been informed that you are part of an ITIA process, the details below may help you decide if you’d like to access this support.
What the service is:
- Up to six personal sessions with a Sporting Chance therapist at no cost to you who will usually speak your first language.
- The sessions are online, usually the same time each week (agreed between you and your therapist)
- Each session is 50 minutes long
How the service can help you:
- Offers support to process your feelings about the investigation
- Provides a safe space for reflection and personal planning
- Educates and advises around self-care during this time
- Signposts further support or help accessing it
Who your therapist is:
- Sporting Chance therapists work with professional sportspeople all over the world, including those subject to disciplinary or other investigations
- They understand your job and your situation
- They offer a non-judgmental space to discuss your situation
How to access this service:
Email support@sportingchanceclinic.com
How we work with Sporting Chance:
Sporting Chance ensures complete confidentiality regarding each individual’s identity and what happens in a session. The only exception is if an individual exhibits behaviour indicating potential harm to themselves or others.
To access the counselling service, you will need to confirm with Sporting Chance the date of your interview or charge letter.
Sport Resolutions’ pro-bono Legal Advice and Representation Services connects athletes of limited financial means with experienced sports lawyers who may be able to assist in first-instance TADP tribunals.
This is now available in all ITIA anti-doping cases from the time a player has been notified of an Adverse Analytical Finding onwards.
For more information on how to contact Sport Resolutions about this support, visit this link.
If you believe your Adverse Analytical Finding was the result of a contaminated product, supplement, or food, the ITIA is now making grant funding available to support players.
Funding to support product testing:
You may apply for funding, up to a maximum of $5000, to test up to five products you believe may be the source of the prohibited substance at a WADA accredited laboratory.
Whilst you may apply for funding to test at any WADA accredited laboratory, we have an arrangement in place with the WADA lab in Salt Lake City (one of the most experienced in the world), which is designed to make this process as efficient as possible.
Funding to support investigation into meat contamination:
If you believe the source of the prohibited substance is meat contamination, have been in a country where there have been previous cases of contamination of meat by the substance you tested positive for, and have received an Adverse Analytical Finding within four weeks of travel, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 to support your investigation into source. This could help with hiring an investigator or travel and accommodation as part of an investigation.
What you will need to complete your funding application for testing or investigative funding:
- Your IPIN or Adams ID
- Details of a legal representative (if you have appointed one), to whom we can make a payment
- Details of the product(s) you wish to be tested including batch number, whether the packaging is opened or sealed
- Or details of your proposed investigation into meat contamination (including evidence of or proposed costs)
Please note that payments may be subject to any government/banking restrictions in place in relation to recipient countries/individuals.
Full terms and conditions are set out on the application form and may be amended by ITIA from time to time.
For further information, or if you have any questions, please email support@itia.tennis.
