Maria Sharapova failed drugs test*

Easy 10 · Mar 7, 2016

mike79 said:
Laughable to suggest a tennis player is at the pinnacle of health and fitness

They are nearly always carrying some sort of injury given the brutal nature of the sport

Not really a surprise they need to take certain things which amateur athletes wouldn't bother with

Sorry, I don't see whats "laughable" about it at all. A tennis player is a supreme athlete, that is without question, it is probably the most physically demanding non-contact sport there is. But needing to take "certain things" as you put it, creates a very blurred line between drugs that aid recovery, and drugs that enhance performance.

And I'm sorry, but ignorance on the athletes part is no excuse whatsoever. If they don't know whats being put into them, then that is their fault for being too lazy/reliant on the people with the tablets and the needles. They know the risks, and the punishments, so its their duty to know precisely what it is they are on, and whether it is legal.

Easy 10 · Mar 7, 2016

Pevenseagull said:
Is cortisone still allowed? In terms of performance enhancing that's got to be as profound as it gets. I fractured my arse falling down stairs a few years ago and could barely walk, a blast of that stuff and an hour or so later I could do star jumps.

I dunno. But if I was an athlete relying on it, I'd like to think I'd be asking the right questions to the right people to make sure I didn't get nobbled if I was tested.

Pickles · Mar 8, 2016

If she'd have gone the cycling way of a total blood transfusion, with for example, Serena.
Yep, she'd have won but won ugly.

Tyrone Biggums · Mar 8, 2016

I'm sick to ****ing death of these pissant Drug agencies. She needed to take it, she took it and it was ok for 10 years until now.

She should sue the ***** for restraint of trade if they are going to put her out over something that she needs to take to stay a healthier human being.

nicko31 · Mar 8, 2016

We fully understand Maria..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNeM7mXdXwI

Berty23 · Mar 8, 2016

Tyrone Biggums said:
I'm sick to ****ing death of these pissant Drug agencies. She needed to take it, she took it and it was ok for 10 years until now.

She should sue the ***** for restraint of trade if they are going to put her out over something that she needs to take to stay a healthier human being.

How do we know she needed to take it? It strikes me as odd that she would start taking something that was not clinically tested as safe unless she was trying to gain an advantage. If she had an underlying health condition then it is quite likely that we would have found out isn't it?

Ignorance is no excuse. I would imagine that all players are contacted with a new banned list each year. It won't just be hidden on an Internet chat room somewhere.

Herr Tubthumper · Mar 8, 2016

Apparently the drug she took is also useful for improving sexual performance

vegster · Mar 8, 2016

There is every chance that someone will end up testing positive for Polonium over this... Does not look good for Russia's image....yet again.

dennis · Mar 8, 2016

Sports Direct are having an urgent board meeting this morning as they believe that Nike are looking to pull out of their contract to supply Mike Ashley's firm as Nike feel they are better suited to Boots.

Buffalo Seagull · Mar 8, 2016

Berty23 said:
How do we know she needed to take it? It strikes me as odd that she would start taking something that was not clinically tested as safe unless she was trying to gain an advantage. If she had an underlying health condition then it is quite likely that we would have found out isn't it?

Ignorance is no excuse. I would imagine that all players are contacted with a new banned list each year. It won't just be hidden on an Internet chat room somewhere.

Where have you read that it was not clinically tested and found to be safe?

Gazwag · Mar 8, 2016

Easy 10 said:
Really ?

So an athlete has absolutely NO personal responsibility as to what drugs are being pumped into their bodies ? They can absolve themselves of all responsibilties because they have a team around them ? Come on.

As [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION] says, its quite amazing how many athletes, who you would assume are at the absolute pinnacle of health and fitness, still seem to require a cocktail of drugs just to keep themselves "ticking over" in a professional sense.

Ultimately yes its her responsibility, the buck stops with her, just like if Lewis Hamilton raced his car with a banned part or Rafa Benitez when he played Denis Cheryshev causing Real Madrid to be disqualified from the Copa Del Rey as he was ineligible to play.

Indurain's Lungs · Mar 8, 2016

Tyrone Biggums said:
I'm sick to ****ing death of these pissant Drug agencies. She needed to take it, she took it and it was ok for 10 years until now.

She should sue the ***** for restraint of trade if they are going to put her out over something that she needs to take to stay a healthier human being.

It's a drug for heart failure and angina. It was also found to boost aerobic endurance (similar to epo effects).

It was placed on the watch list last year when the performance data became known. After a year of testing 2% of ALL elite athletes and 20%+ of Russians were taking it!

Heart failure has a very specific medical definition involving a failure in function and day to day activities. That is not what elite athletes suffer from.

nicko31 · Mar 8, 2016

vegster said:
There is every chance that someone will end up testing positive for Polonium over this... Does not look good for Russia's image....yet again.

They image is shot anyway, they are more tin pot than Palace

Pinkie Brown · Mar 8, 2016

Nike have pulled the plug on their sponsorship of Sharapova straight away. Fair enough. However, Nike continue to sponsor Justin Gatlin who has been busted TWICE for illegal drug use.

Why the double standards? Surely money doesn't dictate the morals of multi nationals like Nike?

Tooting Gull · Mar 8, 2016

Massive story, and there are so many possible interpretations.

Is it just really bad luck and a massive oversight? Could/should the WTA have warned her separately about this newly banned drug they knew she had been using for 10 years? What on earth were her team/doctor doing, don't they get cc-ed in on these changes by her? Has Sharapova in fact just been 'ahead of the testers' for years using a legal performance-enhancing drug? Will her profile see her treated any differently?

I don't there will be too much sympathy for her from a lot of players. Most of the Russians hate her anyway.

And it could well be we never see her play again even if it's only a year's ban, the injuries have been a problem, she's loaded, and will never beat Serena.

Giraffe · Mar 8, 2016

I feel sorry for her. Taking a drug for ten years for a medical condition and then they add this banned drug to the list from 1st January and she gets done.

Has she really benefited from this in any way? I doubt it has made any difference to her performances, just stopped her being ill.

Non story really. She certainly isn't a drug cheat in the same way as Ben Johnson was.

Buffalo Seagull · Mar 8, 2016

Giraffe said:
I feel sorry for her. Taking a drug for ten years for a medical condition and then they add this banned drug to the list from 1st January and she gets done.

Has she really benefited from this in any way? I doubt it has made any difference to her performances, just stopped her being ill.

Non story really. She certainly isn't a drug cheat in the same way as Ben Johnson was.

2% of all elite athletes tested positive for the same drug in 2015. Do you think they all had the same "medical condition"?

Tooting Gull · Mar 8, 2016

Giraffe said:
Non story really. She certainly isn't a drug cheat in the same way as Ben Johnson was.

Non-story? It is virtually the lead story across the world! Maybe they're all wrong...

But on the actual issue at hand, it looks as you say more an extreme cautionary tale than evidence of deliberate cheating.

If I was Sharapova I'd be offering the ITF/WTA straight away to counsel young players about the perils of not doing your 'banned list admin' properly - might serve as some mitigation.

severnside gull · Mar 8, 2016

Her lawyer says she took it under doctor's orders for a medical condition which is odd as I would think that a US doctor would not be prescribing medication which isn't approved by the FDA.
The lawyer says her doctor told her when to take it and when not to. Which sounds awfully like a pattern aimed at avoiding detection.
It is being reported that "many" athletes use this drug. Unsurprising then that many current and former tennis pros and other sportspeople are leaping to Sharapova's defence.
The Russian tennis federation say they think she can still compete in the olympics. Which is a massive indictment of the integrity of sport.

One positive amongst all the cynicism is that corporate sponsors are finally learning to protect their brand by jumping ship quickly :thumbsup:

Giraffe · Mar 8, 2016

severnside gull said:
Her lawyer says she took it under doctor's orders for a medical condition which is odd as I would think that a US doctor would not be prescribing medication which isn't approved by the FDA.
The lawyer says her doctor told her when to take it and when not to. Which sounds awfully like a pattern aimed at avoiding detection.
It is being reported that "many" athletes use this drug. Unsurprising then that many current and former tennis pros and other sportspeople are leaping to Sharapova's defence.
The Russian tennis federation say they think she can still compete in the olympics. Which is a massive indictment of the integrity of sport.

One positive amongst all the cynicism is that corporate sponsors are finally learning to protect their brand by jumping ship quickly

But it was only a banned substance from 1st January. She had been taking it ten years before that, when it wasn't a banned substance. Thereofre she had no need to try and avoid detection.

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Maria Sharapova failed drugs test*

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