Teenage Argentinian tennis player Luciano Tacchi has been cleared of doping charges after proving that the presence of cocaine in a urine sample was due to “environmental pollution.”
The 17-year-old was suspended from playing after a prohibited substance was detected in his doping probe taken in March 2019, when he was taking part in the World Tennis Tour M15 Pinamar tournament held in Pinamar, Argentina.
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Tacchi’s probe “was found to contain benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine,” the International Tennis Federation said in a statement.
However, the player, who had sat out an eight-month suspension, managed to prove that the presence of cocaine in his body was due to “environmental pollution.”
Tacchi and his lawyers presented evidence that the small dosage of the drug found was a result of staying in a space where cocaine was consumed.
The player’s explanation was accepted with the doping charges being immediately dropped.
“Mr. Tacchi’s account of how the cocaine entered his system was accepted and it was determined that he bears No Fault or Negligence for the violation,” the ITF said.