Maria Sharapova failed drugs test*

[LlcoolJ]

TAG Heuer have ditched her now too.

I don't buy the "medical condition" line.

 

[Berty23]

TAG Heuer have ditched her now too.

I don't buy the "medical condition" line.

Quite. Some making the link with family diabetes and this might help. It is some front to claim this but release a sweet called sugarpova. Brilliant.

Some in the media have been sucked in by this brave woman admitting her error and saying she is the victim. For someone who is a renowned control freak this seems odd.

 

[jabba]

Although the responsibility must lie with the athlete, I guess her entourage are being well paid and should have picked up on the new banned drug list. However, I'll bet the authorities knew that she has been taking this medication (I presume any that are taken regularly would be notified) so a short message to her warning of the change of status would seem a simple thing to have done?

 

[Giraffe]

I am fully expecting that she won't be banned, just warned, and rightly so.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

In a situation like this where it appears a genuine screw up and she has played barely any tennis this year anyway, wouldn't the sensible thing to do be, check her medical history and if her story checks out then merely demand the repayment of any funds gained since the 1st of January whilst she has "illegally" benefitted from her medication (in the eyes of the tennis laws).

Maybe I've fallen for it hook and line, but seems 100% genuine to me.

 

[beorhthelm]

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.

I thought this at first however what is the drug for? It's not a nasal spray to help with a light illness, as some above alludes to it may be a drug for chronic illness that offers a significant advantage to an athlete. There's the administrative screw up (minor to non story) and also a question of why she needs the drug in the first place.

 

[Biscuit]

"Family history of diabetes"

You don't take anything because you have family with diabetes!

She obviously knew it was coming, and had the statement ready to roll. Her PR team have handled this perfectly.

Shame we've only just caught up on these substances, but athletes have been using them for a decade and getting away with it because it wasn't on the list yet. Those using them knew it enhanced performance and knew they were cheating.

 

[Biscuit]

In a situation like this where it appears a genuine screw up and she has played barely any tennis this year anyway, wouldn't the sensible thing to do be, check her medical history and if her story checks out then merely demand the repayment of any funds gained since the 1st of January whilst she has "illegally" benefitted from her medication (in the eyes of the tennis laws).

Maybe I've fallen for it hook and line, but seems 100% genuine to me.

You've fallen for it, mate.

These people know what they're doing. Laughable story.

 

[Giraffe]

"Family history of diabetes"

You don't take anything because you have family with diabetes!

She obviously knew it was coming, and had the statement ready to roll. Her PR team have handled this perfectly.

Shame we've only just caught up on these substances, but athletes have been using them for a decade and getting away with it because it wasn't on the list yet. Those using them knew it enhanced performance and knew they were cheating.

I just don't buy this. I don't see how this can have enhanced her performances. It's to stop her getting ill.

 

[matthew]

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.

This.

 

[LlcoolJ]

I thought this at first however what is the drug for? It's not a nasal spray to help with a light illness, as some above alludes to it may be a drug for chronic illness that offers a significant advantage to an athlete. There's the administrative screw up (minor to non story) and also a question of why she needs the drug in the first place.

Exactly. If you look at the facts surrounding the drug then the idea of it being taken for "a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes" sounds far fetched.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/08/meldonium-maria-sharapova-failed-drugs-test

 

[Biscuit]

The naivety in this thread is heart-warming, but also slightly terrifying.

 

[LlcoolJ]

I just don't buy this. I don't see how this can have enhanced her performances. It's to stop her getting ill.

...

• It is manufactured in Latvia and only distributed in Baltic countries and Russia. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and is not authorised in the rest of Europe.

• It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes.

• Wada found “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance” by virtue of carrying more oxygen to muscle tissue.

 

[Buzzer]

The nativity in this thread is heart-warming, but also slightly terrifying.

 

[Biscuit]

I just don't buy this. I don't see how this can have enhanced her performances. It's to stop her getting ill.

No, it was to help her win in competitive matches. "a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes" is utter bullshit.

The reason it added to the list is because the anti-doping body finally cottoned on to how athletes were using it. It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes - in short, it's cheating.

 

[dazzer6666]

No, it was to help her win in competitive matches. "a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes" is utter bullshit.

The reason it added to the list is because the anti-doping body finally cottoned on to how athletes were using it. It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes - in short, it's cheating.

Exactly that. She knew, her team knew.............

 

[DFL JCL]

This whole thing seems to hinge on her legitimacy for using the drug in the first place. I am cynical after the whole EPO debacle and am of the opinion that it is suspicious that elite athletes seem to have clinical ailments that require medication that coincidentally turns out to be performance enhancing. Ultimately whether she is or not, her career will be tarnished by this and she will be labelled as a cheat rightly or wrongly.

 

[Berty23]

You can buy meldonium online from Russia, review says "take 1.5hours before training + you can achieve anything!"

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

She has been using a performance enhancing drug for many years. She continued to use it when it became banned. It is right that she should not now play.

 

[El Presidente]

But still.....