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Basketball Fan
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 Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:44 am Post subject: Maria Sharapova suspended 2 years for doping |
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http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/tennis/maria-sharapova-suspended-for-2-years-for-doping/ar-AAgNClh?li=BBnbfcL
| Quote: | Maria Sharapova suspended for 2 years for doping
LONDON (AP) -- Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis for two years Wednesday for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and immediately responded by saying she would appeal the decision to sport's highest court.
The ruling by an independent three-person panel appointed by the International Tennis Federation said Sharapova did not intend to cheat, but that she bore "sole responsibility" and "very significant fault" for the positive test.
"While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," Sharapova said in a statement. "The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
The five-time Grand Slam champion was provisionally suspended by the ITF in early March, when she announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that she failed a doping test in January.
Sharapova said then she was not aware that the World Anti-Doping Agency had barred athletes from using meldonium, also known as mildronate, as of Jan. 1.
Her lawyer, John Haggerty, said Sharapova took the substance after that date.
Lawyers representing the ITF argued their side, while Haggerty argued hers. He said she spoke at the hearing.
In addition to testing positive at the Australian Open, the ITF said she also failed a test for meldonium in an out-of-competition control in Moscow on Feb. 2.
Sharapova said she first was prescribed the Latvian-made drug, typically used for heart conditions, for medical reasons in 2006. She could have been barred from competing for up to four years.
Highest Paid Female Athletes of 2015 | Graphiq
"Today with their decision of a two-year suspension, the ITF tribunal unanimously concluded that what I did was not intentional," Sharapova said. "The tribunal found that I did not seek treatment from my doctor for the purpose of obtaining a performance enhancing substance.
"The ITF spent tremendous amounts of time and resources trying to prove I intentionally violated the anti-doping rules and the tribunal concluded I did not."
The ban throws into doubt the on-court future of Sharapova, a 29-year-old Russian who is one of the most well-known and -- thanks to a wide array of endorsements -- highest-earning athletes in the world.
She is a former top-ranked player who is one of 10 women in tennis history with a career Grand Slam -- at least one title from each of the sport's four most important tournaments. So much came so easily for her at the start: Wimbledon champion in 2004 at age 17; No. 1 in the rankings at 18; U.S. Open champion at 19; Australian Open champion at 20.
An operation to her right shoulder in 2008 took her off the tour for months, and her ranking dropped outside the top 100. But she worked her way back, and in 2012, won the French Open, then added a second title in Paris two years later.
Sharapova hasn't played since a quarterfinal loss to Serena Williams at this year's Australian Open, and she is ranked 26th this week.
Meldonium increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity by carrying more oxygen to the muscles.
In April, citing a lack of scientific evidence about how long the drug remains in a person's system, WADA said that provisional suspensions may be lifted if it is determined that an athlete took meldonium before it went on the list of banned substances.
About 200 athletes tested positive for meldonium this year from various sports and countries -- many, like Sharapova, were Russian -- and some said the drug stayed in their systems for months even though they stopped using it in 2015.
But, according to Haggerty, that was not the case for Sharapova.
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Fendrich reported from Washington. |
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numero-ocho
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:19 am Post subject: |
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Sharapova's had some long layoffs because of injuries but two years is a long time for a tennis player. She's likely to lose a lot in prize money and endorsements but her tennis career might benefit from it. She'll only be 31 and Serena will likely be retired or on her way out by then so she won't wear down her body for the next two years only to run up against that wall.
I'm somewhat gratified the ITF didn't show her any leniency because of her star status. It's obvious she was using this drug as a PED even that wasn't its intended use. I always marveled how much fight Maria had left in the third sets of her matches and this drug might explain why.
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lakersken80
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:39 am Post subject: |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | Sharapova's had some long layoffs because of injuries but two years is a long time for a tennis player. She's likely to lose a lot in prize money and endorsements but her tennis career might benefit from it. She'll only be 31 and Serena will likely be retired or on her way out by then so she won't wear down her body for the next two years only to run up against that wall.
I'm somewhat gratified the ITF didn't show her any leniency because of her star status. It's obvious she was using this drug as a PED even that wasn't its intended use. I always marveled how much fight Maria had left in the third sets of her matches and this drug might explain why. |
Its over. 31 is pretty old for a female tennis player. I can only think of one major dominant female tennis player past the age of 31 currently active in the game of tennis and that is Serena Williams. She is the exception and not the rule. 2 year is a really long layoff to be away at the top level of the game. |
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999
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:48 am Post subject: |
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sahsa was prolly the best thing that happened in her life... Her Loss  |
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Basketball Fan
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| Her life seemed to go downhill after they got together... |
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jodeke
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| Basketball Fan wrote: | | Her life seemed to go downhill after they got together... |
They may have spawned a superior athlete.
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999
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Basketball Fan wrote: | | Her life seemed to go downhill after they got together... |
Didn't Sasha win an nba title and she won the grand slam when they were together? |
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Aussiesuede
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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She's done, and knew it when she made her admission. I'm certain it was a strategic move to bolster her post playing career. Now her name still get's to be relevant for the next 2 years just based on the speculation of whether or not she'll return. A past-her-prime tennis player isn't going to comeback and regain relevance after a 2 year layoff. Just not going to happen. But folks will talk about it and that's the point. Seen the shelf life of a Post-30's Russian modeling career? Been nice knowing ya Maria...
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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I realize that I'm in the minority, but I've had a strong suspicion for years that the anti-doping authorities are out of control. If we're talking about steroids or HGH, I get it. But is there even proof that this particular drug is performance enhancing?
http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/16050173/tennis-doping-anti-doping-efforts-questioned-maria-sharapova-suspension
But again, I realize that I'm in the minority. |
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focus
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Won't miss her shrieking. Now if Azarenka can get suspended we're getting somewhere. |
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Basketball Fan
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| 999 wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | | Her life seemed to go downhill after they got together... |
Didn't Sasha win an nba title and she won the grand slam when they were together? |
She won a grand slam after they broke up. He did win two titles when they were together. |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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Like almost every Russian and eastern bloc athlete is on the stuff. It's not because they all have heart problems. |
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lakersken80
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: |
Like almost every Russian and eastern bloc athlete is on the stuff. It's not because they all have heart problems. |
The Russians had some pretty advanced doping programs during the 2012 Olympics. Involved the FSB as well. 60 minutes did a piece on it. |
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OX1947
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| How did I know, the moment I saw this thread, Sasha's name would be brought up. |
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numero-ocho
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: |
Like almost every Russian and eastern bloc athlete is on the stuff. It's not because they all have heart problems. |
| Quote: | In a letter she wrote to the panel before the hearing, Sharapova admitted she took 500mg of meldonium on 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 January this year: the days on which she played her five matches at the Australian Open.
The panel concluded that the "manner of its use, on match days and when undertaking intensive training, was only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels... which must inevitably lead to the conclusion she took Mildronate (a brand name for meldonium) for the purpose of enhancing her performance". |
LINK
Really good article on the investigation here.
LINK2
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:17 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: |
Like almost every Russian and eastern bloc athlete is on the stuff. It's not because they all have heart problems. |
Okay, but that illustrates the stupidity of these sort of drug regulations. This stuff is getting banned because of bunch of Eastern European athletes are using it, even though there is no proof that it actually does anything. So what are we really regulating here? Drugs, or the behavior of athletes?
Let's suppose that some athlete starts taking XYZ, which can be bought at GNC. The word gets around that XYZ helps build muscle mass. Lots of athletes start buying XYZ by the caseload from GNC. WADA sees this and bans it.
But in fact, XYZ does nothing at all. It's just a bunch of athletes copying each other. We know that stuff like this happens every day with regular people. The word gets out that Vitamin whatever does blah blah blah, and suddenly people are stocking up on Vitamin whatever. Then we get medical reports a few years later debunking the link between Vitamin whatever and blah blah blah.
So I'm not real impressed with the argument that the stuff Sharapova was using is used by lots of athletes in Eastern Europe. How about some actual proof that it does something? Otherwise, what are we really regulating? Are we banning people for using PEDs, or are we banning people for acting suspiciously? |
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ringfinger
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Well, to me it is ultimately about intent. If there is reasonable evidence to suggest that the existence of a particular banned substance was not intentionally consumed, then, I think the athlete should be given the benefit of the doubt.
I mean, watch, at some point, some shady athlete is going to figure out a way to spike an opponents food or water and then get them banned. LOL |
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Basketball Fan
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:40 am Post subject: |
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| jodeke wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | | Her life seemed to go downhill after they got together... |
They may have spawned a superior athlete. |
Tennis or basketball? Maybe rebel and play hockey? |
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:06 am Post subject: |
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| ringfinger wrote: | | I mean, watch, at some point, some shady athlete is going to figure out a way to spike an opponents food or water and then get them banned. LOL |
In fact, that may have happened with Ben Johnson, though he was actually guilty. |
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hoopschick29
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:18 am Post subject: |
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JMO, but I believe that Sharapova was using this substance as a PED the whole time. Some of these drugs can take years before they end up on the banned list. And once they do, athletes either continue to take the stuff with some kind of masking agent, or they feign ignorance upon getting caught. I don't know if Sharapova attempted to use a masking agent, but she definitely went the feigning ignorance route.
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:29 am Post subject: |
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| Aeneas Hunter wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: |
Like almost every Russian and eastern bloc athlete is on the stuff. It's not because they all have heart problems. |
Okay, but that illustrates the stupidity of these sort of drug regulations. This stuff is getting banned because of bunch of Eastern European athletes are using it, even though there is no proof that it actually does anything. So what are we really regulating here? Drugs, or the behavior of athletes?
Let's suppose that some athlete starts taking XYZ, which can be bought at GNC. The word gets around that XYZ helps build muscle mass. Lots of athletes start buying XYZ by the caseload from GNC. WADA sees this and bans it.
But in fact, XYZ does nothing at all. It's just a bunch of athletes copying each other. We know that stuff like this happens every day with regular people. The word gets out that Vitamin whatever does blah blah blah, and suddenly people are stocking up on Vitamin whatever. Then we get medical reports a few years later debunking the link between Vitamin whatever and blah blah blah.
So I'm not real impressed with the argument that the stuff Sharapova was using is used by lots of athletes in Eastern Europe. How about some actual proof that it does something? Otherwise, what are we really regulating? Are we banning people for using PEDs, or are we banning people for acting suspiciously? |
So your position is that all of the Russian olympians and athletes are using a placebo and have been for years? |
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:37 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | | So your position is that all of the Russian olympians and athletes are using a placebo and have been for years? |
My position is what I actually said. |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Aeneas Hunter wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: | | So your position is that all of the Russian olympians and athletes are using a placebo and have been for years? |
My position is what I actually said. |
So yes.
I think you're wrong, but who knows I guess. Maybe Putin is right, and it's just the big bad westerners picking on poor ole' Russia. |
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not sure what Putin has to do with anything I said, but whatever floats your boat. |
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DuncanIdaho
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