Headlines use «suspended» and «banned» interchangeably. The World Anti-Doping Code does not. A provisional suspension and a period of ineligibility are different instruments with different authors, different triggers and different consequences for the athlete's record and income.
| Provisional suspension | Ineligibility | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Before any finding, while the case runs | After a finding, as the sanction |
| Decided by | The results management authority, or accepted voluntarily by the athlete | A hearing panel, or by agreement under the Code |
| Effect on results | Does not of itself disqualify past results | Disqualification of results follows under the Code's own rules |
| Length | Open — until the case is decided | A fixed period, from the tiers in the Code |
| Credited | Credited against the final period, on conditions | Is the period |
The mandatory one and the optional one
For some findings a provisional suspension is mandatory, and the athlete is out of competition from the moment of notification with no hearing on whether that is fair. For others it is discretionary. Either way it is not a determination that a violation occurred, and an athlete whose case ends in no violation has been suspended without ever having been sanctioned.
Why it costs money either way
Prize money, appearance fees, a place in a qualification window, a contractual bonus tied to selection — all of these are lost during a provisional suspension, and they are not restored by a finding of no violation. The only mechanism that converts the lost time into something is the credit rule, and it is conditional: the credit is given only if the suspension was respected, and never for time before its effective date. That arithmetic is set out in article 10.13.2.
The mistake that destroys the credit
Competing during a provisional suspension removes the credit entirely. An athlete who takes part in a minor domestic event while «waiting for the case» converts served time into nothing, and adds a second problem on top. Where the underlying case is a whereabouts case — see the twelve-month window — the waiting period is often the longest part of the process.
How to read a report about a sanction
Three questions answer almost everything: was the suspension provisional or final; from what date did it run; and were results disqualified. A report that gives a number of years without those three facts is not describing the athlete's position. An appeal, if there is one, goes to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and then only on the narrow grounds in article 190.
Where this is written: the definitions and articles 7, 9, 10 and 10.13 of the World Anti-Doping Code, wada-ama.org/en/resources.