The Laureus Academy has made the decision to revoke Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner’s nomination for the prestigious World Sportsman of the Year Award due to his recent three-month doping ban.

Sinner, 23, had previously accepted the ban earlier this month after testing positive for clostebol, an anabolic agent. The Italian athlete explained that the substance entered his system inadvertently, through massages and sports therapy provided by a member of his support team. The ban, which has been confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is set to expire on May 4.

Laureus World Sports Academy chairman, Sean Fitzpatrick, issued a statement on the matter, clarifying the Academy’s decision. “Following discussions by the Laureus Academy, it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award is to be withdrawn,” said Fitzpatrick. “We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies, and while we note the extenuating circumstances involved, we feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed.”

The doping ban followed a settlement with WADA after the agency had sought to impose a one-year suspension on Sinner. This stemmed from a case last year when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) had ruled the contamination of Sinner’s sample was accidental, acknowledging that trace amounts of clostebol had entered his body through a massage given by his trainer. The trainer had used the banned substance after accidentally cutting his own finger.

While Sinner’s explanation was accepted by the ITIA, WADA disagreed with the decision, seeking a longer suspension. Nevertheless, the three-month ban imposed does not prevent Sinner from participating in upcoming major tournaments, as the timing means the Italian will be eligible to play in the French Open, set to begin on May 25.

This year’s nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards, selected by a panel of journalists and broadcasters, will be announced on March 3.

In the past, Jamaican athletes have been frequent winners at the Laureus World Sports Awards which have been held annually since 2000. Usain Bolt, the iconic sprinter, claimed the World Sportsman of the Year award in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2017. More recently, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were honored with the World Sportswoman of the Year award in 2022 and 2023, marking the sixth time that a Jamaican athlete has received such recognition.