Doping Again !

wimdledont · Challenger level

Doping Again !

Jaffa · Challenger level

I've bit my tongue on this because I wanted to sleep on it to gauge what I think... so...

When Maria first came out and announced it I thought 'Wow, but at least she's being completely up front and honest with everyone about it'

This was not what we should be thinking. We should have no sympathy for her at all, in my opinion.

I find it absolutely incredible that somebody of her stature, with the best doctors, advisors and the biggest management company in the world could be so negligent. How does nobody realise that this drug is now a banned substance? On average the top ten players get tested 8-15 times a year so it was always going to be found.

I also think it's really poor that the ITF allowed her to control the story on this. For me, the ITF should have just come out and issued a statement saying 'Sharapova has taken a PED and therefore is banned, further statement to follow'. The fact that Maria was able to come out and say that has manipulated people's thoughts in to thinking she's just naive, when the reality is she's been gaining an advantage on her fellow competitors for a number of years and now has finally been caught out for it. Frankly, it is a complete load of twoddle that she took this for a magnesium defect and/or because of diabetes in her family. As mentioned this drug is only licensed in a few countries and there are many other drugs without side effects that would do the same thing.

Just because taking the PED at the time was legal doesn't make it right.

I personally hope they throw the book at her but no doubt previous cases (Rusedski, Cilic, Gasquet) will allow her to appeal and get a reduced sentance.

Jaffa · Challenger level

wimdledont wrote:
Oakland2002 wrote:
Wimbledont, I am sure they do have to declare all prescription medication and supplements.
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Tuesday 8th of March 2016 07:49:46 AM
Then WADA should send her an email saying "MARIA, STOP taking MELDONIUM." So I presume not.

-- Edited by wimdledont on Tuesday 8th of March 2016 08:23:19 AM

No they shouldn't, it is down to the player to know what they are putting in their body.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

miss sharapova was clearly taking this drug to improve aerobic capacity . As a pharmacist certainly in Uk & NW Europe it would be abnormal don't do this in a healthy patient unless they have high blood pressure and or heart disease the objective was clearly to improve aerobic capacity . You can do this quite legally at the moment with high doses of beet root juice we use it in the A1 Pharmaceuticals team it improves circulation and helps lower blood pressure . It's naturally occurring and a useful health supplement

now this was not an illegal substance until recently banned when Miss sharapova failed to stop taking it . In my opinion it's a Shame she has done so it because I do not think it would make a huge difference to her results . Although in a long match particularly a close 5 set match naturally it could reduce the risk of fatigue and aid recovery giving you an unfair advantage over a clean opponent

sadly Russia from the days of the soviet block when it was win at any cost the country has had a reputation for encouraging the use of performance enhancing drugs . On the basis of the fact that the drug has only recently been banned I think the ban should only be 1-2 years although if she's does not miss the Olympics it may send the wrong message different rules depending who you are .

This also underlines the importance of electing the right coaches and healthcare professionals who are familiar with the list of banned substances

& indeed make it there business to keep up to date .

There has long been a complaint by GB players that foreign players have an unfair advantage and the use of performance enhancing drugs and blood products was rife a certain player from Majorca name often came up in the locker room

-- Edited by A1 tennis academy on Tuesday 8th of March 2016 09:49:52 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I think wimbledont was being tongue in cheek, Jaffa.

I don't think Maria can be penalised or given a harsher punishment for taking the drug while it was legal - it's up to the authorities to decide what's OK and what's not and if they were happy with it, then that's up to them. It's black and white - banned or not banned.

But personally I do not think that a healthy 19 year-old would start taking daily medication, and continue for ten years, because of a family history of diabetes.

And I have extremely little sympathy for the failure to pick up on the change.

The ITF letter, from autumn 15, that Steven re-posted is short and very clear. It was already on a 'being monitored' list (as someone else posted above). The WTA sent out letter in December too.

And this is not like someone who has a final to play on Saturday afternoon and wakes up on Saturday morning with a sudden eye infection and races to the chemist to pick up some eye drops that turn out to contain a controlled substance.

This is someone taking a drug on a daily basis, over 10 years. Surely she's not taking that many. So it's obvious that the couple that you DO take will be very high on your 'flagged' list to check.

NB And, as said before, the banned substances site is so quick and easy to use - I was amazed - (and everyone has smart phones) that I actually wouldn't have any real sympathy for the eye infection case now either.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

That she loses her AO prize-money is a given. Sorry, wimbledont, disagree with re-writing history. If this substance was permitted last year she wasn't cheating last year. As I've hinted above, I'm not an MS fan but I don't agree she should be hung drawn and quartered over this; she has sleep-walked into this drugs failure at AO 2016.

-- Edited by vohor on Tuesday 8th of March 2016 09:57:44 AM

Jaffa · Challenger level

Apologies, wimbledont, I missed the tongue in cheek aspect there.

Turns out a FIFTH of Russian sportspeople had Meldonium in their system in 2015!!!

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

What is very worrying to me is the attitude of the Russians in general. They have stated this morning that this is being blown out of proportion and they still fully expect Sharapova to represent them at the Olympics this year. That for me is symptomatic of the Russian attitude to PEDs in general.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

By minimum sanction I was thinking 12 months ban (not 4 years that the media will be screaming for); i.e. no Olympics in Rio.
May give her chance to work on getting the decibels down too :)

wimdledont · Challenger level

Unsurprised but unimpressed to find that, while every news-site on the intertubes thinks this is the biggest sports story in the world this morning, Florida-based American sports marketing agency and millionairess's PR consultancy, the WTA, think it isn't. It doesn't even make the top 5 of their rolling headlines.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Like Jaffa, I wanted to sleep on it overnight before putting my thoughts forward.

I think she WAS using the drug as a PED. What I can't get my head around is why she would then take the risk once it became banned. And I can't believe it had been overlooked, I mean she's got a huge team, PR etc etc. It makes no sense.

Whilst we all seem to agree that it is a PED, I have to agree with CD and vohor. If it was legal, it was legal. As A1 says, athletes do all they can to optimize their performance his e.g of beetroot juice, Djokers and his pressure chamber. But they stay on the legal side. I'm not going to knock her for that. These people want to win alot, that is what drives them, and makes us want to watch them. But the rules have been broken, so the penalty has to be paid...

My opinion is minimum ban and AO prize money/points (as it was only one tournament).

As for the WTA not putting it up, it seems a little naive, but not surprising. Who would want to advertise that one of their top assets had been taking drugs (even though they could put a positive spin on it as Shreiky has done). Que serra serra.

Sim · County player

I suspect Maria has dug herself a big hole by saying that she was taking Meldonium due to medical reasons, and as advised by her family doctor. The problem is who will believe whatever she may be able to produce as evidence from her Russian "family" doctor given the history of doping and drug use in Russia? So unless she has an independent medical examination from a Western doctor that lines up with her story I won't believe her excuses.

I would actually have more sympathy for her if she had just stood up and said that she used it as a booster and as long as it was legal that was OK (in her eyes) and that she missed the update that it was illegal. So she took an illegal substance less than 1 month after it declared illegal, so yes I stand up guilty as charged but please be lenient with me as it was legal when I started using it.

Would be interesting to know what the views of the some of the players who have lost to her in long 3 set matches are............

indiana · Tennis legend

Sim wrote:
I suspect Maria has dug herself a big hole by saying that she was taking Meldonium due to medical reasons, and as advised by her family doctor. The problem is who will believe whatever she may be able to produce as evidence from her Russian "family" doctor given the history of doping and drug use in Russia? So unless she has an independent medical examination from a Western doctor that lines up with her story I won't believe her excuses.
I would actually have more sympathy for her if she had just stood up and said that she used it as a booster and as long as it was legal that was OK (in her eyes) and that she missed the update that it was illegal. So she took an illegal substance less than 1 month after it declared illegal, so yes I stand up guilty as charged but please be lenient with me as it was legal when I started using it.
Would be interesting to know what the views of the some of the players who have lost to her in long 3 set matches are............

This.

As Helen says, like it or not, most folk realise that a huge number of athletes will take legal substances that they think or were told will help them.

So, yes, just go for botch up, which to an extent it clearly was whatever.

I guess in her position she feels she has to give the impression that she would not be one to seek any supposed aid she could. Hmm ...

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Sim wrote:
I suspect Maria has dug herself a big hole by saying that she was taking Meldonium due to medical reasons, and as advised by her family doctor. The problem is who will believe whatever she may be able to produce as evidence from her Russian "family" doctor given the history of doping and drug use in Russia? So unless she has an independent medical examination from a Western doctor that lines up with her story I won't believe her excuses.
I would actually have more sympathy for her if she had just stood up and said that she used it as a booster and as long as it was legal that was OK (in her eyes) and that she missed the update that it was illegal. So she took an illegal substance less than 1 month after it declared illegal, so yes I stand up guilty as charged but please be lenient with me as it was legal when I started using it.
Would be interesting to know what the views of the some of the players who have lost to her in long 3 set matches are............

Yep, 100%.

philwrig · Hall of fame

The fact that all her sponsors are heading to the exit door in a very hasty fashion changes the complexion for me. If the medical explanation is complete fabrication, I'm still not 100% convinced, it's makes her out to be a blatant liar, not just a drug cheat. Hmmmm will see how this develops. I will say this though that her performances in longer matches has always been exceptional, a bit like Woz, never seems to tire in the deciding sets.