Maria Sharapova Announces She Failed A Drug Test At The Australian Open [Video]

If you have irregular EKG and family history of diabetes, why would you take a drug not approved by the FDA?

It is a well known thing used by Russians. Off the radar until this year.

March 7th, 2016 at 3:56 pm

“Sharapova put the blame on herself for not reading on the changes.”
Glad she accepted responsibility. Was getting tired of reading the SOP from players “I didn’t know” or deny deny deny. There is a list, they need to read it and never get close to those things, period. It is their responsibility, not their teams’, their friends, their doctors, etc.
Unless of course they don’t want to play tennis. This is important stuff to keep the integrity of the sport.

http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Top-Russian-ice-dancer-Bobrova-fails-doping-test-6874554.php

March 7th, 2016 at 3:59 pm

Absurd that a drug that had been legal and she has been taking for 1 years is suddenly banned. WADA is frankly out of control. And for those questioning why someone would take something not “approved by the FDA”…well, the American FDA is not the arbiter of all things good in the world. Get over yourselves.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:06 pm

for 10 years that should have said above.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:06 pm

the FDA is just one body governing approvals – an american one. the whole tour isn’t run in the united states, lol, and many players come from other places, wow. i would assume it’s up to WADA and the ITF to amalgamate a list that encompasses drugs that are legal and/or approved in all countries, beyond the USA too.

for example, while a lot of UK and european counties banned the sale of all goods coming from cloned farm animals, the USA hasn’t. in fact, in 2008 the FDA approved the genetic modification of cattle to improve their output. so there you go: what’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander. or should i say cow?

March 7th, 2016 at 4:10 pm

jane, cheers…

She admitted in the press conference that she didn’t read the updated banned list when she received the letter.

The international weightlifting federation put out a warning on mildronate in September 2015. Latvia did as well October 2015. But apparently mildronate has been connected with enhanced performace since at least 2013 – ITF finally got around to banning it, sent out the list – Maria didn’t have time to read it or something prior to AO.

It will be interesting to follow the case.

Kudos to her for not attempting to hide it or sweep it under a rug.

Humble Rafa
I’m not familiar with Mildronate. They are saying it enhances blood flow, among other things, makes you feel better, helps endurance and recovery. Have to look into it a little more. I’m sure the Clinic at CyclingNews.com is ALL over it! Haven’t read over there yet today.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:26 pm

I don’t know why but I suddenly like Maria.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:32 pm

Me too, Markus! But guessing I know why.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:35 pm

cheers back jalep. hope all is well…

March 7th, 2016 at 4:37 pm

I don’t know why but I suddenly like Maria.
—
May be you just like dopers.

March 7th, 2016 at 4:52 pm

She’d have to be an idiot to be a doper and either not check the list, or check the list and keep taking it. And I say this as someone who really dislikes her.

March 7th, 2016 at 5:39 pm

I heard she not only dopes, but she also tried to pay Djokovik $200,000 to throw a match.

March 7th, 2016 at 5:56 pm

My question is this: What is the medical issue that she has that required the prescription?? If she has a problem and she quits the drug, then what? My cousin is a nurse and told me it is prescribed for a heart problem known as angina….ischemia…..blood flow in the carotid artery. If she had no medical problem in the first place…then that’s another story. I would be terrified to take any form of a PED…..I had a TIA in 1978. I read up on these type of episodes and they are forerunners to full out stroke. I did have a mini stroke in 2008….so what I read turned out to be spot on for me. I am now taking Coumadin because of the mini stroke…..

March 7th, 2016 at 6:09 pm

A simple explanation which makes sense about Mildronate’s uses.

http://www.si.com/tennis/2016/03/07/maria-sharapova-positive-test-meldonium-drug-history-benefits

March 7th, 2016 at 6:15 pm

@Markus…..Come on now…be straight up with TXers. You suddenly like her because you won’t have to hear her screaming for awhile…..LOL
Getting a break from that is music to my ears!!

March 7th, 2016 at 6:15 pm

Thanks Jalep for the link.

March 7th, 2016 at 6:16 pm

I think the whole thing is ridiculous – I’m sure she could have gotten a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for it, and even if she had tested positive, she wouldn’t have been banned at all. The whole thing is a joke.

The same thing happened to Mariano Hood, who was banned of taking a substance that was in his hair loss medicine a month after it was added to the banned list.

In my opinion, she should get a pass and we should all move on from this stupidity. Until people like Wayne Odesnik and other obvious dopers (who will remain nameless) are caught and banned, nobody should take tennis’ doping seriously.

I think she’ll be banned for 6 months, and she’ll return right after Wimbledon (including “time served”) and the whole thing will be forgotten by the Olympics, which of course she will be competing in.

The absurdity continues…

http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-only-dope-is-anti-doping-believer.html

March 7th, 2016 at 6:24 pm

“other obvious dopers (who will remain nameless)”

innuedo MMT? “obvious” “nameless” … unless you have proof how can you say?

otherwise, i agree with your post.

i find it weird that she would’ve had to report that she was taking this drug for 10 years to the appropriate bodies, but that they didn’t contact her directly to inform her of this change, other than in a generic email.

it just seems to me that WADA would’ve had a computerized list of all tennis players who were reportedly taking this particular drug, especially because they were apparently doing a big – & funded – research project on it last year.

so why not print out a list of those players and send them a certified letter ahead of time warning them of this change, or even at the end of the year telling them of this change. after all, they may need to find alternate medications for their condition.

it seems kind of abrupt.

March 7th, 2016 at 6:46 pm

Some reports suggest it was on a watch list for a year, and if so, that wouldn’t be quite so abrupt, though it doesn’t change my view that this particularly case is not a big deal.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:14 pm

Oh Okiegal

Stay save.

Jane – 100%

March 7th, 2016 at 7:17 pm

Pity Maria didn’t have panic room in Melbourne to hide and avoid testing officials without any consequences.

Good luck Maria.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:27 pm

Dear Okiegal,
First things first, a big loud Hahaha! for saying “You suddenly like her because you won’t have to hear her screaming for awhile…” You read my subconscious mind even before I did.

Next: You brought up interesting an interesting question. Did Maria really have a medical condition that necessitated taking Mildronate? If there isn’t any, then, she should be punished because as you said, she was taking it as a PED. If there is, then she should be exonerated because she could not suddenly just stop taking the drug as that could result in adverse reactions, i.e., withdrawal, exacerbation of medical problem, etc. and, as somebody mentioned earlier, if they just banned the drug in the beginning of the year, there should be a grace period to allow a smooth transition to a new drug.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:28 pm

Dear Okiegal,
First things first, a big loud Hahaha! for saying “You suddenly like her because you won’t have to hear her screaming for awhile…” You read my subconscious mind even before I did.

Next: You brought up interesting an interesting question. Did Maria really have a medical condition that necessitated taking Mildronate? If there isn’t any, then, she should be punished because as you said, she was taking it as a PED. If there is, then she should be exonerated because she could not suddenly just stop taking the drug as that could result in adverse reactions, i.e., withdrawal, exacerbation of medical problem, etc. and, as somebody mentioned earlier, if they just banned the drug in the beginning of the year, there should be a grace period to allow a smooth transition to a new drug.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:28 pm

Double posts again! Grrr! and sorry.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:29 pm

@Markus..ha!ha!..that’s ok..it happened to me all the time..

March 7th, 2016 at 7:37 pm

@MMT, it’s unlikely she would have received a therapeutic use exemption for this particular drug, or that she would have seriously applied for one as you have to submit medical records. If she truly required treatment for a heart problem or pre-diabetes there are better drugs for those purposes. Hard to see how a doctor could justify that she needs this specific drug.

The reality here is simple. This is a mildly performance-enhancing drug that slipped under the radar (not even remotely the only one, btw) for many years and so was probably widely used. Recently WADA decided to crack down on it. Some athletes got the message and some didn’t. Fallout ensues.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:38 pm

For all her mistakes..i can’t bring myself to blame her..i mean..we’re talking about a champion here..a no 5 in the world..a professional athlete who very aware of the consequences if taking the illegal drug..i don’t think she wants to jeopardize everything that she already had..there’s a lot at stake here..sometimes we overlooked or missed what we got in our mail or e mail right?It happened to everyone..although in maria’s case..this simple mistake will probably cost her an arm and a leg..and i feel sympathy for her..for all her flaws on court,i hope she will arise from this once again and get her aura of champion back one day..

March 7th, 2016 at 7:53 pm

wog boy, lol. that panic room story is definitely unique.

okie, she said she had irregular EKG and diabetes, so these are genetic and definitely related to the heart. it seems to make sense in that context, and perhaps doctors in russia think differently than those in the USA as to which drugs are better/worse? but who knows. we’re all speculating at this point, until further information is released.

but this charge does justify nicely the money wada was funded for their research into this very drug in 2015.

March 7th, 2016 at 7:56 pm

^ sorry i should say she has proclivities to diabetes – it’s in her family.

March 7th, 2016 at 8:02 pm

I guess as a diabetic she may have to lay off the sugarpovas too.

March 7th, 2016 at 8:14 pm

@Markus 7:28…. Thanks for elaborating further on my comment….my thoughts exactly…….if she truly has a medical condition, then that will call for another drug.

@Jane 7:56 Markus went further with what I was trying to convey……

Markus….love double posts, especially when directed to me!! LOL :)

March 7th, 2016 at 8:53 pm

A cheater.
A doper.
A loud, obnoxious schizoid.
A soon to be stripped “chump” who denied others who were probably clean their due because she was enhanced for 10. 10. 10 YEARS. They let her slide and she felt so privileged, thus did not read the list because she knew it was there and she is hooked. Next story, in rehab. She, like Amy will say No,No,No.

March 7th, 2016 at 10:35 pm

Capris ti is absolutely right.

March 7th, 2016 at 10:36 pm

Sharapova is at fault, point blank period. You have a massive team, make $20M from selling candy alone… you can hire me for 50K a year [plus travel :-)] to read every email and letter you get to make sure nothing slips thru the cracks ever again.

March 7th, 2016 at 11:17 pm

What I find truly ironic is there is 1 female tennis player that a majority of people LOVE to HATE, has been consistently scrutinized every time she shows emotion, anger, sadness, glee, et al… Has been compared to a man because of her God given physique…

But Maria got caught doping LOL

March 7th, 2016 at 11:18 pm

It’s frustrating how people draw all kinds of unwarranted conclusions in doping cases.

This drug was legal until January 1, 2016. It is highly likely that a number of men and women on the tour were taking it prior to that point. Why wouldn’t they? It has known performance enhancing effects and was not banned.

Maria didn’t stop taking it, which regardless of reason proved to be a serious mistake. But that’s all that happened. It says nothing about who else was or wasn’t taking that drug (or any other) prior to this year.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:27 am

Overreacting people
Maria just made mistake
Give her the benefit of the doubt

March 8th, 2016 at 1:35 am

Humble Rafa,
I just read your post, didn’t get the chance to see others, but cannot keep calm. Are you serious?! FDA??! Who is FDA? An American, and ONLY American, body (that allows Monsanto on our kitchen tables and where Pharma corruption is rampant). It just so happens that this particular cure is allowed in many countries, Russia being one of them. It has a generic name and many different names all over the place. If you trust your team, it is easy to overlook details.

There is a huge difference between doing something on purpose trying to cheat others, and using a drug that benefits everyone and is only recently put on a no-no list.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:58 am

They reckon that Meldonium improves sexual performance too, I might give it a go, they can’t ban me for doing certain things..I have to see my GP tomorrow for prescription..

Maybe that’s why Grigor had to quit as Masha’s boyfriend, she was wearing him down..

March 8th, 2016 at 2:41 am

Oh, WB, pray run to your GP :))). This was hilarious .

March 8th, 2016 at 2:58 am

Good luck to Maria

March 8th, 2016 at 3:27 am

What the ITF dont seem to take into consideration is that she was taking this medication for 10 years,which wasnt a banned substance but now all of a sudden is,but dont people realize that if youve taken something for that long,then all of a sudden stop the chemicals might still be in your system anyway?

So taking this all on board i think Maria is suffering an injustice here its not like she was deliberatly cheating here,so i hope they go lenient on her,and give her a short suspension like with Cilic,6 months was it ?and move on,all unfair IMO.

March 8th, 2016 at 4:26 am

Wogboy lol,i feel sorry for your poor wife then;).

March 8th, 2016 at 4:37 am

Green Lady, why feel sorry for the wife. The basic mechanics of sex mean that the act is vastly more tiring and (literall) draining, for the man than it is for the woman.

The man’s body has to set about manufacturing a new supply of millions of little tadpoles, each one containing his complete genetic code. The woman’s body has to do similar manufacturing, but only once a month.

This is why, in many societies, women are feared and even hated, because they seem to be vampires drawing the strength out of men.

March 8th, 2016 at 5:16 am

Nike just dropped Maria. This is probably going to hurt her endorsements just as much as her on-court career, if not more.

March 8th, 2016 at 5:18 am

Oh lor! I missed out the question mark, and the “y” in literally. I often miss out characters now. If anyone here reads Terry Pratchett, they’ll recall that doing this was the first indication he had of his Alzheimer’s disease.

March 8th, 2016 at 5:25 am

oh give me a break…

she forgot to check her e-mail…really?!
one of the world leading athletes, has a professional team surrounding her day and night, suddenly she or her team has forgotten a super important e-mail??? who is she trying to fool??!!

March 8th, 2016 at 5:30 am

Maria is of course Russian….but her main abode is the USA….assume USA is where she normally got her medication…..

March 8th, 2016 at 6:05 am

I am curious what drug she will be prescribed for her medical issues now?? She used this script for ten years…..that’s long time…..and now it’s banned??? This drug might have kept her ticker in tune but it didn’t enhance her performance one iota. Well, on second thought…..maybe it enhanced her ability to screech louder!! lol

March 8th, 2016 at 6:29 am

Maria not only been dropped by nike but also Tag heuer and Porche as well..funny..Justin Gaitlin who twice failed drug test in the past has been offered a new sponsorship deal by nike only last year..once again i stressed my sympathy for her..

March 8th, 2016 at 6:29 am

My understanding from the news is that Nike and TAG sponsorship has been suspended, not cancelled and will be most likely reinstated once everything is over, they are in the business of making the money and Maria is still making loads of money for her sponsors and will continue to do so after punishment, whatever it might be, is over.
I am sure Adidas or UNIQLO will take her if Nike doesn’t want her anymore and so on..

March 8th, 2016 at 6:44 am

^^ or H&M

Sorry for Maria, it ios not like, she has tekane heroin or somethine else…

March 8th, 2016 at 7:01 am

VP..agree with you..like many said..this is an honest mistake..but the judgement on her was so harsh..like you said..like she take something deadly or dangerous..

March 8th, 2016 at 7:12 am

Hi AM, and as far as I remember she played only AO this year…they could give her only a warning and so on….

March 8th, 2016 at 7:17 am

Hey VP,how are you today?Yeah..they could do many things if they wanted too..considering that she already take this medicine for 10 years on medical purpose..but i salute her to the fullest for the bravery act in admitting her mistake..it takes a lot to do that..

March 8th, 2016 at 7:25 am

AM, I am ok. I took a break from filling stupid excel files and SAP and had a look on the tennis news. How are you?

March 8th, 2016 at 7:38 am

I’m fine too VP,tq for asking..i noticed that your name has not emerged much since yesterday,i thought you go down with fever or something considering you ‘played’ too much tennis with jalep the other day..he!he!but..none the less..happy to ‘see’ you here..

March 8th, 2016 at 7:46 am

lol AM, Had a lot of work yesterday…and I want to keep some energy for the last rounds from IW ;)

March 8th, 2016 at 7:54 am

Ha!ha!VP..you sure want to do that,considering your hero will once again wreak havoc at IW..i can’t wait to see the draw..hopefully Thiem will fall in nole’s section and nick of cozzz..sorry VP but i want to see how the young guns will fare against supernovak..

March 8th, 2016 at 8:03 am

jane: You are correct – it is only my opinion that there is undetected doping in tennis. The only people who are caught are those taking recreational drugs (no performance enhancements), or substances that provide limited performance enhancements – for examples substances for which they could have had TUEs. I see nothing here (http://www.usada.org/substances/tue/policy/) that would exclude Meldonium (Ruby).

Here’s my sense of players I suspect of taking PEDs – a player who at an ADVANCED age is training longer and harder than their contemporaries, getting the best results of their careers based primarily on strength/fitness that they have never demonstrated in the past, and they are associated/affiliated with doctors/trainers who have treated other athletes caught doping.

That sounds very specific, but I can think of at least 5 players (across men’s and women’s tennis) to which those criteria apply. It’s just my opinion, but it’s not a SWAG or based exclusively on the old pre-emptive, “I’m not gullible” analysis.

March 8th, 2016 at 8:40 am

BBC TV News at 1.00pm. Maria has been given a 4 year suspension from tennis.

March 8th, 2016 at 8:44 am

AM, yep, would be great :)

March 8th, 2016 at 8:51 am

I am further convinced when I see irrationally aggressive behavior (towards opponents or officials) and/or a sudden drop off in their performance (which suggests to me they’re off the sauce).

March 8th, 2016 at 8:54 am

Why isn’t there any medical information about Sharapova’s medical problem that would have justified the use of meldonium (meldronate)? This drug is supposed to be for cardiac ischemia and/or heart failure. Is is believable that Maria has been suffering from coronary artery disease or heart failure since 10 years ago? Even if she has these problems, it would be easy to produce medical documentation. I think approval by FDA is irrelevant because a lot of medications are approved in other countries where FDA has no jurisdiction.

Again, these remarks are corollary to Okiegal’s who first brought up this medical issue. Hopefully this will double post inadvertently so Okiegal, nice lady that she is, will be pleased.

March 8th, 2016 at 9:20 am

This is not a joking subject. You know it’s serious stuff when sponsors are suspending/dropping you and you receive a multi year suspension.
This stuff can and has been used to increase your abilities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/sports/tennis/what-is-meldonium-heres-what-you-need-to-know.html?_r=0

Note it has been mostly used by Eastern European athletes.

March 8th, 2016 at 9:23 am

JK. BBC radio has given out news that strangely enough is not on the BBC website or on sky news. I’m not going to believe it until I see it in print.

March 8th, 2016 at 9:44 am

Markus: I’m not a doctor (but I’ll play one on this blog), but meldonium is also used for circulatory issues, not necessarily coronary artery disease or heart failure. And frankly, this is much ado about nothing IF there is a chance that she could have received a TUE for it, which, as I mentioned, there is nothing in what I saw on the USADA (which convenes with WADA) website.

Skeezer: I think the stigma attached to tennis, in light of the betting “scandal” is worse than we realize, and the timing of this is rather unfortunate for Sharapova. I still don’t think this will last, and I’m sure there are others lined up to throw money at her the minute her “ban” is lifted/expired. Wasn’t Nike’s sponsorship has been suspended and not ended? Seems to me they’re trying to have their cake and eat it too…not unusual in professional sports.

With the Olympics coming up, I find it hard to believe that she will in fact be banned, but I could be wrong – I also didn’t expect her sponsors to scuttle so quickly.

March 8th, 2016 at 10:03 am

^^I have noted this now on my agenda

March 8th, 2016 at 10:04 am

Sharapova is caught red handed and everyone is still trying to prove her innocence? Do we want stringent testing that no one can bypass or do we want the illusion of testing that lets our star players go free?

March 8th, 2016 at 10:05 am

My comment was for Skeezer observation :)

March 8th, 2016 at 10:05 am

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/08/meldonium-treatment-four-to-six-weeks-maria-sharapova

Ho hum people “normal course of treatment is 4-6 weeks.”
One of the things I had found pretty incredulous TBH was that a young woman, with access to the finest madical advice possible, would be on the same course of treatment for 10 years.
And her team kind of forgot to mention to her that it was also a “performancer enhancer.” May have been “legal” folks, but hardly ethical.
And those of you who play bridge will know that Maria had to make a pre-emptive strike before the news of a drug ban was released. Thus she has controlled the news.
Pretty media savvy woman I’d say.
Yep, off the fence on this one, can you tell? ;)

March 8th, 2016 at 10:31 am

MMT,

This is the link I posted;

“.. meldonium gives sufferers of heart and circulatory conditions more “physical capacity and mental function” — and a similar boost to healthy people. Meldonium was banned because it aids oxygen uptake and endurance.”

Note: she is not the only one banned from a sport using this stuff.

Another thing: according to the ban she’ll be 32 before she is eligible to play. The ban is very harsh, so there must be more to this or it is really an unfair punishment. I mean, her career could be over from here on out if this ban holds up.

March 8th, 2016 at 10:32 am

Spot freaking on, Margot.

Skeeze, how is the punishment unfair? How long should someone be banned for doping?

March 8th, 2016 at 10:38 am

i read something else from a cardiologist who thinks maria’s story is sketchy.

http://www.3aw.com.au/news/sharapova-excuse-sounds-dodgy-says-leading-cardiologist-20160307-gnd5lp.html

March 8th, 2016 at 10:44 am

Ben,
Good question, and maybe it is fair. But… are they saying she cheated for just 2 months or 10 years? If it was just 2 months how did that impact the game negatively? Just trying to look at the bigger picture here. I guess in her instance (when doing the math on her) ban she is basically done in Tennis. Coming back @32 after a four year layoff, well, imo, don’t see that happening.
We are talking about a multiple Slam winner here, and a (former?) WTA Star.
Thoughts?

March 8th, 2016 at 10:48 am

After most the match fixing focus mostly fell on the Russian Federation, is it unreasonable to think that the hammer that fell on Putin’s prize pet is not likely to be scaled back to a wrist slap? “In the doghouse with tennis officialdom” Russia will pay for its sleazy ways through Sharapova being made an example of. Sponsors suddenly dropping her is a sad sign that they have no plans to lobby the ITA for her to get superstar treatment in this.

===============
Wog Boy sez – “I am sure Adidas or UNIQLO will take her if Nike doesn’t want her anymore and so on.”

Other sponsors dropping Maria into the “now we can scrap that pricey contract, she’s radioactive anyways” wastebin with great speed suggest others seeing a 28 year old already in a conversation of likely retirees, facing at least a year ban – won’t bite.

UNIQLO is in particular, fussy on their endorsers. They have been looking for a non-Asian female athlete brand ambassador for a couple of years, passed on multiple candidates. In Maria’s case, the values the owner of UNIQLO sees as needed in brand Ambassadors don’t seem to dovetail well with her

“Any new sports figure addition, male or female, would need to have the characteristics which Uniqlo says it has found in Djokovic and Nishikori – namely honesty, modesty, grace towards others, hard work, focus and an ability to handle success with gratitude.”

Sharapova certainly has the virtues of hard work and focus, but not so much the other characteristics.

[UNIQLO is massively successful – and finds its ambassadors in sports and entertainment (Japanese ladies golf, S Korean singers, Pharell Wiliams,etc.) best used to sell all lines of clothes on image, not simply athletes push sports gear or attire S KOrean singers wear on stage. A marketing strategy very different than Nike’s which is to mass produce stuff with the names of the stars of their athlete stable on it. UNIQLO has yet to make a full line of Kei or Nole gear available to buy – and they are happy with not doing so.]

March 8th, 2016 at 10:57 am

Her slam count is irrelevant to her punishment. Her age is irrelevant to her punishment.

Are you saying the ITF should discriminate based on age? If you commit at crime at 19 or 23, you should be punished more than someone who’s 29 simply because you have more time in your career? Does THAT sound fair to you?

And same thing for her previous success. If a non-slam winner was caught in the same way, they should be punished more because they accomplished less? Does that make any sense?

If anything, it’s more heinous that she’s had as much success considering she was on this stuff for 10 years. That means maybe she shouldn’t have been as successful, which means, if anything, she should be punished more for cheating her colleagues and stealing away titles.

But you raise an interesting question, was she cheating for 10 years or 2 months? Technically, she was only cheating for 2 months. And this benefits her because then the ITF and WTA can’t strip her of any titles during those 10 years. But last I checked, how long you were cheating for doesn’t really determine the length of your punishment. An offence is an offence. What would matter more is if this was a repeat offence. It’s not, it’s her first, and she should be punished accordingly. The rule is 2 years if she unknowingly took it. This is highly debatable since she took it on purpose but if she can prove it was without malicious intent, then 2 years should be served.

It’s good that WADA is trying but this proves what many “conspiracy nuts” have always claimed, dopers are almost always ahead of testing and this is indicative of that. She’s basically been legally doping for 10 years. You could say that she didn’t cheat, but I’m sure her fellow players won’t feel that way. Just because a loophole exists doesn’t mean it’s not ethically wrong.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:03 am

MMT: What circulatory issues would Sharapova have at the age of 17-18? Peripheral artery disease? That’s for people with a severe form of diabetes or alcoholism, or vitamin deficiency or some type of an autoimmune disorder in which case, Sharapova would have been in such a poor shape to play tennis at all and would have to be on another medication to treat the primary problem such as insulin for diabetes, or steroids for an immune disorder. This is starting to get really fishy and unless Sharapova can show proof that she has a medical problem that necessitated taking meldonium, then I am more inclined to think that it is to enhance her performance. She was very young when she started taking it so I think it was a decision by her doctor/trainer etc that she had no full knowledge about. At any rate, it is beginning to really sound like doping and should be dealt with accordingly. But being the big star that she is who generates a lot of income for tennis, she would probably be given a very light punishment. If she were some nobody, she would have been banned for life.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:08 am

You make over $10 million per year playing a game, and you have a team of nutritionists and business managers at your disposal. You don’t need to read an email about banned substances. Your team has a responsibility to read it for you and advise you to change your supplement routine! Anyone who believes this claim is an imbecile. Athletes at this level hire doctors to tell them what to ingest and when. If someone forgot to tell her to stop the Meldonium, she should sue him for the lost $50 million in Nike sponsorship money.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:12 am

“… dopers are almost always ahead of testing and this is indicative of that.”
Don’t disagree with that. Appreciate the response, all good. Just a sad situation for Tennis, maybe this will help clean things up.
@jane
Wow a Cardiologist chimes in on her excuse. Bam!

March 8th, 2016 at 11:14 am

it would be interesting to know this: was she taking this drug *consistently* for 10 years or periodically? if the treatment is 4-6 weeks, could it be that she took it here or there for 4-6 weeks? how could she take it for 10 years straight and it be safe?

margot’s link says it’s unclear.

it also says this: ” the company said that it believes the substance would not enhance athletes’ performance in competition and might even do the opposite” & “Grindeks said that, in sports activity, the drug slows down how the body breaks down fatty acids to produce energy.”

the link also states that the drug is available over the counter in some formulations.

all that being said, and having the feeling that maria’s story is suspect, i nonetheless find it pleasantly coincidental for WADA that directly after they received a ton of funding money for a research project on this very drug, they justify it and back it up nicely by making a huge and very public bust of sharapova, a top star in the sport. it sure dovetails nicely for their organization after a lot of negative publicity over the years.

not to sound too cynical but paid research that supports particular findings is not uncommon – be it in pharmaceuticals or whatever.

perhaps this “bust” also shows us that big stars are NOT protected in tennis, as some have implied in the past. i mean, if WADA would bust sharapova, doesn’t that mean or suggest that they’d bust anyone?? or are some of the big stars of the game still exempt from scrutiny?

March 8th, 2016 at 11:20 am

Skeeze, it does suck. But this is what we, as fans, should want. No bias, no discrimination, more transparency, etc.

Markus, I’m not sure where you got the life ban idea from.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:20 am

She is so pretty, I’m almost inclined to forgive her for the wrong reasons.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:30 am

Ben, I never mentioned anything about a life ban for Maria.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:46 am

My prediction: A one year ban like Cilic which I think is fair.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:48 am

Ben, you must have been referring to the last sentence in my comment. It was a hypothetical statement as what could have happened if it were a relative unknown who tested positive for a banned substance.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:48 am

I can smell another slap on the wrist punishment. That’s what they do to star tennis players when they test positive for a banned substance.

March 8th, 2016 at 11:50 am

I also guess, she will be banned for 6 months or 1 year, and it would be fair….4 years would be to much.
I only wonder now, what other substances will occure in the future, men and women which practice sport will use them, and it will take 10 years until we should find out, that these drugs are dangerous. I think, it is a never ending story…

March 8th, 2016 at 12:02 pm

Ah, Markus, gotcha. I’m inclined to agree but I really hope you’re wrong.

6 months would be an absolute joke. I don’t even think 1 year is fair, because it’s a reduced sentence for an already reduced sentence. Give her 2 years, ITF. Don’t make an example of her with 4 years, but don’t treat her lightly because she’s Maria Freaking Sharapova. Give out the appropriate punishment.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:04 pm

Markus: the TUE decision making is not as set in stone as the conditions you’ve set out to lead to any conclusion other than she was taking it to enhance performance.

I’m pretty sure she was taking it to enhance performance – it was LEGAL to do so for 10 YEARS she was taking it. What we’re talking about here is essentially an unawareness that the substance was illegal as of 3 weeks before her test.

That’s not the same as someone taking anabolic steroids or HGH, and I don’t find this to be remotely fishy. She thought she was within the rules and just didn’t know it was NOW illegal. She should have passed the list on to her doctor who should have known the two names it is listed under and that it is illegal for her to take, but that’s not an attempt to deceive – that’s a lack of thoroughness.

This is not the same as Wayne Odesnik showing up at an airport with vials of HGH. Or Petr Korda testing positive for anabolic steroids. As such, I don’t think a lengthy ban is warranted here. I think if she applied for TUE, she may have received one with sufficient justification/documentation. But the absence thereof DOES NOT imply an attempt to deceive or cheat.

Robert Kendrick was punished for using a decongestant (banned as stimulant) to fight jet lag. In their decision, the ITF indicated that he COULD have received for a TUE for it even though he wasn’t congested and was using it to improve performance. The point: making a mountain out of a mole hill here is precisely what tennis wants the outside world to do, because it leads to a presumption of how serious the game is about PEDs.

But their own decisions and contradict that, as do the paucity of anabolic steroids or HGH users and the over representation of people with asthma or treating hair loss, or people just failing to declare where they’ll be for a day. I, for one, am not going to get sucked in to the illusion that tennis is serious about PEDs until someone that clearly fits the bill is caught by their testing and banned.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:06 pm

I am eagerly anticipating the punishment that will be given to Maria. Agree with Ben, 2 years is probably the most appropriate. It is harsh enough to warn all players against being lackadaisical about PED use. Anything longer than that, 4 years for example, is tantamount to ending her career.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:12 pm

Very sorry to hear this. Think it is ] sad . Somehow I believe her, the prev]ious ten years she was on the same medication and it is only since first January that this medication was banned.

I want to believe the best. I really do. Can it be proven that this was performanc]e enhancing? or performance ] enabling her to play?

“It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA’s banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine. But on January the first, the rules have changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance.”

It is very ]disturbing to think that her advisers did not look at ] banned drugs ]from first ] January.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:18 pm

It is also legal to take in some countries, yet not in others? It must be difficult to get the full low down in all the countries? Banned in USA, but not in Russia? Makes no sense.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:19 pm

WB
LOL, I hope that your GP know how to prescribe meldonium… I sure that would benefit as much as Rhino horn.

PS: I don’t want to disappoint any Chinese fan out there, but the Rhino horn is made of the same material as your nail… Keratin, it is! So bite your nail instead!!!

March 8th, 2016 at 12:20 pm

@jane
If she took the drug “intermittently” that makes it worse doesn’t it? Because everyone will be asking, “When exactly?” eg Before the slams? Crikey!
I think 4 years is too long too, it would end her career, which seems wrong. 1-2 years probably, less than 1 would look too lenient.

March 8th, 2016 at 12:34 pm

Looking up on ITF the average ban lately is about a year….

http://www.itftennis.com/antidoping/news/decisions.aspx

March 8th, 2016 at 12:37 pm

]

She has played one tournament while using meldonium. ]It will be interesting to see what happens with the ]ITF.

One tournament when it was banned. Previous to this, the drug was legal. Don’t forget this fact.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:18 pm

Does midronate enhance performance? Here is an article about it.

http://pilarmartinescudero.es/OctNov15/Midronate%20interferencia%20con%20cromatografia.pdf

Here is a snippet from the above article:

Under sport-physiological aspects, reports on positive effects on the physical working capacity of elite athletes were published and dosages of Mildronate (per os between 0.25 and 1.0 g twice a day over 2–3 weeks during the training period and 10–14 days before competition) were discussed. Further studies demonstrated an increase in endurance performance of athletes, improved rehabilitation after exercise, protection against stress, and enhanced activations of central nervous system (CNS) functions.[15,16] Moreover, Mildronate shows mood-improving effects as well as an increased learning and memory performance, which are properties athletes may also benefit from.

Its effect on physical working capacity has been reported in scientific journals as early as 2002. It’s in the bibliography of that same article.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:18 pm

Ben Pronin Says:
Spot freaking on, Margot.

Skeeze, how is the punishment unfair? How long should someone be banned for doping?

March 8th, 2016 at 10:38 am

Ben,

I think we all gotta wait to find out more details about this. Everyone in the game is singing from the same hymn sheet. Dopers are out. But is she a sharapova dopa? I don’t think so. Somehow, I think it was a mistake. To take something for ten years, that was legal? and then for it to switch to illegal?

Come on.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:25 pm

People around elite athletes are very smart. They would try to take advantage of whatever it is that can give their athlete an edge over the others. Even if Mildronate was not in the list of banned substances until this year, it’s performance enhancing properties are known to quite a number of sports people. In the article I posted above, it showed that several athletes were found to have this drug in their system. I still have to hear about what medical problem she has that indicated taking this medicine for such a long period of time. So, if Maria was taking it to enhance her performance, even if it is not banned, it is still cheating.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:26 pm

Why would she need to take it for 10 years? The mistake was getting caught.

Let’s not bury our heads in the sand on this one. It’s 2016. We’re seeing countless records shattered in every sport every year. Records set 30 years ago by KNOWN dopers. This stuff these athletes can do is inhuman.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:42 pm

Ben,

You are missing the point.

A drug that she had been taking for ten years, was LEGAL. Weeks ago it was made ILLEGAL.

Now she is a cheat? After having played only one tournament? Doesn’t make sense to me for her to risk her career.

I think it is an honest mistake.

I really want to hear the outcome of it when it has followed the due process.

March 8th, 2016 at 1:59 pm

There is evidence that it is also used for people with heart defects?/problems. She has admitted that. Family history of diabetes too it can be used for that.

Seriously, what an absolute minefield being an athlete these days.

March 8th, 2016 at 2:01 pm

10 years for a drug that’s only supposed to be taken for 4-6 weeks?

HGH was legal at some point, too. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s not a PED.

I don’t think I’m missing the point. I’m not going to give her the benefit of the doubt when she’s caught red handed. She even admitted she got the email but ignored it. So she COULD have known what she was taking was illegal. I don’t see why we should excuse this.

March 8th, 2016 at 2:05 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3481562/Australian-Olympians-warned-Sharapova-drug-six-months-ago.html

March 8th, 2016 at 3:06 pm

Lapinroyal, you are really really good friend of mine, you dashed all my (and my wife’s) hopes with one sentence, you are almost as good friend as mat4;)
Regardless, I am going to see my GP today, hope dies last..

March 8th, 2016 at 3:29 pm

MMT – “I, for one, am not going to get sucked in to the illusion that tennis is serious about PEDs until someone that clearly fits the bill is caught by their testing and banned.”

———–
That mindset, being sure without any evidence and getting organizations to find someone, anyone to take the fall with dubious cause – creates a situation where injustice is highly likely.
Example: Stalin thinks at least 25% of his 12-man Council of Admirals are disloyal.
State security the NKVD , investigates. But finds no evidence. However, given Stalin is convinced, they offer up 3 sacrificial goat admirals as disloyal just to show they are very, very serious about making Comrade Stalin happy.

March 8th, 2016 at 4:04 pm

Ben, really?

You are going to give Sharapova the benefit of the doubt? Does not sound like it right now. 4-6 weeks is not conclusive Ben. None of us are doctors here, all just waiting to see what the outcome is and hope it to be fair and just.

It is a drug that can be taken for longer periods than this, and for life, if needs be. At least that is the information that is out there – depends what you are reading I guess. Let’s just wait and see shall we?

I hope for the best for her. Certainly she cannot be put into the same category as other so called cheats in tennis, who have taken drugs and been found to be on the wrong side of WADA. We know who they are.

Bollettieri said he believed former world number one Sharapova had made a “very honest mistake”.

“She said she took these for many, many years and then didn’t read the memorandum that came out,” he said.

“I don’t think that Maria Sharapova would continue doing something, especially being in the limelight, if there was something she knew about.”

Bollettieri said he hoped the tennis authorities would allow Sharapova, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, to play again.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35752114

It is just really sad. I have watched her press conference all the way through – she seems genuinely uninformed. Stupid at worst, careless at the very least.

If you have continued to take something over a period of time, seemingly believing (through not having been told the rules had changed), then you would continue to take them.

However, should she be found to have known about this drug, then she deserves all the arrows she will get – but not until a proper process and investigation has been carried out.

If it can be supported by a medical practitioner that she did was unknowingly taking something – then can she be blamed?
Look at Cilic, God, there are so many to quote.

She needs support right now, as Cilc and Troiki did, not people going for her in the way that Capriati did.

She has handled the press conference beautifully and with a conscience, I believe.

March 8th, 2016 at 4:59 pm

@Markus….no double post this time……but I am pleased just the same……you said I was a nice lady! I have a big smile on my face atm! Thanks!

I will agree with Madmax……..10 yrs of use as a legal drug and now it’s not. I am no Maria fan, but I think the punishment was a wee bit harsh. I ask again….what will the new drug for her health issues?? If no new script, we will then know it was all a Sharapova Sham…..awww, that was a cute fly by night comment from Okie!! Applause please for the stand-up comedian from Oklahoma!!

;)…..A wink for Markus………

March 8th, 2016 at 5:02 pm

skeezer,

I read your link above – thanks for sharing.

Interesting this:

n Asada spokesman said: ‘Meldonium’s changed status is specifically mentioned in Asada’s Level 2 online education program. Many Olympic sports (eg swimming, athletics, cycling) require their athletes to complete this module as part of their education program.

‘As well as this, Asada communicates changes to the ‘Prohibited List’ to the Australian sporting community through a number of ways. For example, all sports are emailed about changes to the list, we promote the updated list on social media, and we discuss changes to the lists with athletes in our face-to-face education sessions.

So I guess, part of the investigation will see whether she participated in the online programme or turned up to any of the education sessions, face to face?

March 8th, 2016 at 5:05 pm

Did I say I was giving her the benefit of the doubt? I meant I’m not going to.

She’s been caught. I’m not accusing her of something she didn’t do. She did it. Now it’s time to face the consequences.

10 years of a loophole, 2 months of technical cheating.

March 8th, 2016 at 5:08 pm

This crazy circus from legal to illegal and ‘yesterday i can take it but tommorow i can’t’ makes my head spin,let’s hope that the ‘dates’ that nole has been swallowed all this time has not been declared illegal tomorrow..otherwise..i’m sure someone will eat without their teeth in the future..

March 8th, 2016 at 6:05 pm

Giles

The same statement is on BBC TV (Red Button) right now. They are now saying up to 4 years suspension…Maria’s lawyers will be able to shred that…but, does she want to play again?

March 8th, 2016 at 6:05 pm

If you have been taking a medication for ten years and the problem has not gone away, I would advise you to seek further consultation to find out why. Sharapova was not taking it to treat the cause of the disease but rather to treat the symptoms of the disease. You have to go to the root of the problem. And her reason for taking it is very vague such as “asthenia” which only means poor sense of well being and “family history of diabetes”. You don’t take any medicine simply because there is a family history of it. She also mentioned cardiac arrhythmia. That may be a bit more serious and with all the money she has, she should have consulted a cardiologist to find out why she has it and thereby get rid of it. Like other elite players who take it for no real indication, she is most probably taking it for its performance enhancing effect. Just because it was only banned this year does not excuse her from the fact that she has been knowingly taking a drug that will enhance her performance. That is cheating. There are no ifs ands or buts about it.

It’s either Maria is very stupid for continuing to take it for ten years or she thinks that everybody is stupid and will believe her flimsy excuse for taking it.

March 8th, 2016 at 6:20 pm

chrisford1: I can’t tell who is Stalin in your analogy – my point of view or the tennis authorities?

March 8th, 2016 at 7:08 pm

Markus: I’m going to leave your medical advice where it belongs – that it was banned 3 weeks before she took it is evidence of two things: 1) she had no intention of cheating and 2) she hasn’t been violating the anti-doping rules for very long.

Now, let me ask you this: what is the purpose of anti-doping? Is it to sent out rules that are to be followed, or it is to prevent people of cheating? I think it is to prevent people from cheating, and even by your analysis, there is no compelling case that she was cheating.

It’s not like she was caught with vials HGH, or tested positive for anabolic steroids. She, like many others “caught” violating anti-doping rules are not intended subjects of anti-doping rules. The intended subject of anti-doping are cheaters. There is no reasonable context in which she could be viewed as a cheater.

After all – if se was indeed cheating all these 10 years she was taking this substance, would she admit to doing so for 10 years? Of course not.

I would recommend not taking the bait and insisting on a draconian application of the anti-doping penalties…that’s the easy way out. The hard way is to insist that tennis catch people who are trying to cheat, not people who aren’t reading their email.

March 8th, 2016 at 7:14 pm

MMT,
I posted links earlier but this “Drug” that is/has been used to increase performance. Specifically, it enhances/improves recovery time and oxygen. Like WB mentioned earlier, I want that too!
Now, is she cheating? Does she have an advantage over others by taking this? That can be an unfair advantage in any sport ( ok, bocce ball, dart throwing, and that sweeper Olympic thingy that should never be a sport excluded ).

March 8th, 2016 at 7:59 pm

You’re quite naive MMT and I’ll leave it at that for you to figure out why I say that. I have already explained why I find no plausible medical explanation for Maria taking Meldonium for 10 years.

By the way, Maria was caught taking a banned medicine which she claims to take for some medical reason. Why shouldn’t a medical explanation belong to the discussion? That’s actually where this problem hinges on, isn’t it?

March 8th, 2016 at 8:07 pm

If she took the drug for ten years for whatever reason……. she wasn’t cheating because it was not a banned substance until recently. I am not really sure if she even needs to explain herself since the drug was on the ok list…..just saying…….

March 8th, 2016 at 9:03 pm

Markus: you didn’t answer my question – what is the purpose of anti-doping? Is it to set rules that have to be followed, or is it to catch and prevent cheating?

I think obviously the latter, and as such, it is important to answer the question of whether Sharapova was cheating, or if she is simply guilty of not reading her email.

Your question about why she took this substance for 10 years is almost irrelevant – it was legal for 10 years, so this is entirely moot. It doesn’t matter why she was taking a legal substance for 10 days or 10 years. It was legal, and she wasn’t violating any rules by taking it for those 10 years. It was offered in statement to give some context of how the substance got in her system (which is a required component of any response to a positive WADA doping test).

She violated anti-doping rules for exactly 25 days, which she has admitted to doing for 10 years…this is hardly action of someone who has been cheating for 10 years and been trying to hide it. The narrative you’re driving at false, illogical and irrelevant. It also conveniently allows tennis authorities to both appear strong on anti-doping and for the game to appear clean (because the only people getting caught are technical violations, not actual cheaters).

The point of all of this is not to catch cheaters – Sharapova is not one, and as such this is all a farce.

March 8th, 2016 at 9:54 pm

Maria was just naive and too trusting. Her team let her down. To those of you who say that everyone needs to know what they put in their bodies, let me remind you that Cilic got a ban because of an over the counter cold drug that his mother bought. I have a friend, a top notch athlete and a legend in his discipline, who similarly took a cold medication and was banned for two years. I’ve known him since childhood basically, practiced with him every day and absolutely vouch that he was always clean. These are honest mistakes that should not be dealt with harshly. There is a huge difference between doing this on purpose and cheating like Agassi admitted doing, and mistakenly taking something.

March 9th, 2016 at 5:09 am

@MMT
She could have been doing a bit of pre-empting there as well. Whose to know her 10 year usage wouldn’t have emerged at some point? And, if she hadn’t revealed it, think what a stink that would’ve caused.
I agree with you tho., the whole what is/isn’t is a minefield. Performance inhancing drugs are getting more and more sophisticated and difficult to detect, lines are blurred between getting an advantage and downright cheating. I read an article suggesting that the scheduling is partly to blame in that it requires athletes to recover far too quickly between tournaments/matches.
@danica
Maria “naive and trusting?” Lol m’dear, you’re having a laugh aren’t you?

March 9th, 2016 at 5:23 am

@Margot,

Do you really believe that it is possible to Sharapova empire by herself without having to rely on her team members, she is the best payed female athlete in the world for quite some years, she has to have quite a few employees who are in charge of different things, like checking all updates on banned substances, like her doctors, like her legal team, like her team that runs “sugar pica business, of course that it is quite possible and quite probable that somebody failed in his/hers line of duty, Maris doesn’t run all her affairs by herself, you are surprising me with, that is not “corner shop” that is hundred plus million dollars a year business!

March 9th, 2016 at 6:03 am

^^ few spelling mistakes but I font know where from that “sugar pica” came from, it should say “Sugarpova”

March 9th, 2016 at 6:14 am

Yeah im not saying she was deliberatly cheating,as i dont believe for a minute that she was,but Maria is supposed to be such a savy buisness woman,that i cannot believe she would leave something like this to chance,especially when the rules in tennis continue to change,and she has such a huge team that a supposed to look after her interests,this is her career and livehood at stake here,and she says she didnt read her e.mails,come of it?.

March 9th, 2016 at 6:41 am

Ben,

I am not even a fan of Sharapova – I have watched her play and the grunting gets on my nerves, big time.

BUT,

10 years of taking something which is legal, well, she has not broken any law. We are talking about the last 9 weeks, and she has played one tournament. Plus:

Ben Pronin Says:
10 years for a drug that’s only supposed to be taken for 4-6 weeks?

4-6 weeks, does not mean continuously, there is a difference. Continuous and Continual – It does not say that you cannot take this for longer. It could be sporadically taken throughout the year, dependent upon her condition, which will no doubt come to light when the investigation takes a deeper look at the minutiae.

March 9th, 2016 at 6:53 am

GL,

It is multimillion dollar business, the owner doesn’t read all his/hers emails, there are people who are paid to do that. I run very small business and I don’t read all my emails that come through my official email, I have access to them but there is a person that is in charge of them and her duty is to sort them out , answer them in consultation with me.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:03 am

Wogboy all true,but i stand by my post,and i assume your not some multi millionaire with such a big team around you lol?but i cannot buy that when its your career at stake you would leave anything like this to chance sorry but no?.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:20 am

^And how you doing BTW,nice run LVC are on ATM? ;).

March 9th, 2016 at 7:21 am

Perhaps the mail went to Spam :)

March 9th, 2016 at 7:25 am

GL,
I am ok, hope you are ok too, thanks for asking, far away from multi millionaire, banks are after me.. don’t jinx them, they are doing well, four or five wins in a row…You’ll Never Walk Alone:

http://youtu.be/OV5_LQArLa0

How can not love them, Liverpool FC forever in my heart.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:34 am

Wogboy love that song,but it makes me cry buckets,as its also from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical called Carousel,have you seen it?a man is a thief and killed in a knife fight,and comes back as an angel to see his daughter,who doesnt know who he is as he died when she was a baby :(.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:41 am

GL,
No I haven’t seen Carusel, but I would like to..due to certain reasons I can connect with that story.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:45 am

Wogboy yeah for certain reasons i too connect with that story,anything where somebody loses somebody i connect with,been through it with both parents,im just a sensitive soul.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:55 am

GL,
I’ll tel you the story about great Liverpool FC fan from the Belgrade suburb where I lived, he died in his twenties in the freak car accident, he was well known in the area, the boys made big mural with him, LFC coat of arms and Marlboro cigarettes (he smoked) and guess what, out of all graffitied and vandalized buildings in the area, that one is still intact, respect.

March 9th, 2016 at 7:55 am

Wogboy OMG,that is so sad,but what a lovely homage though from his friends.

March 9th, 2016 at 8:14 am

MMT, here read this if you or others like you still think Maria is taking Mildronate for its “medical’ issues which are not even there, they just happen to be something that allegedly runs in their family. And so you may know, when something runs in a family, it does not always mean that you already have it or will definitely have it.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/sport/2016/03/09/Experts-perplexed-over-why-Sharapova-was-taking-banned-heart-drug

March 9th, 2016 at 8:20 am

danica Says:
Maria was just naive and too trusting. Her team let her down. To those of you who say that everyone needs to know what they put in their bodies, let me remind you that Cilic got a ban because of an over the counter cold drug that his mother bought. I have a friend, a top notch athlete and a legend in his discipline, who similarly took a cold medication and was banned for two years. I’ve known him since childhood basically, practiced with him every day and absolutely vouch that he was always clean. These are honest mistakes that should not be dealt with harshly. There is a huge difference between doing this on purpose and cheating like Agassi admitted doing, and mistakenly taking something.

March 9th, 2016 at 5:09 am

Danica,

Could not agree more.

March 9th, 2016 at 8:34 am

I can see that some pizza delivery boys are trying to be medical experts too. If something runs in the family there is good chance you may as well have it, that is why some doctors suggest measures to prevent the things happening. I didn’t belive I might meat the destiny of htwo thirds of my fathers side, including my father who all dropped dead from heart attacks. About ten years ago I was about to borrow fair bit of money from the bank, before I did that I decided to check myself thoroughly since I didn’t want to leave my family with mortgage burden in a case I drop dead too.
The result wasn’t really pleasing, even I wasn’t overweight, no high blood pressure, never ever had high holesterol, non smoker, all physical test went perfect and so on, my cardiologist told me that due to family history only way to be certain is to do CT scan of my heart and surrounding arteries. Well the results put me in the category of medium risk of heart attack due to build up in my arteries and cardiologis told me it is puerly genetic inheritance, since then I am on Crestol pills and aspirins, to keep my holesterol level below 3.3 due to family history. If I did my tests earlier I would be able to slow down calcium built up in my arteries earlier, so yes, you can prevent things if you do proper check ups and tell family doctor your family history.

March 9th, 2016 at 8:46 am

^^ Crestor

March 9th, 2016 at 9:17 am

Markus: I have the sneaking suspicion that you didn’t read my previous post. If Sharapova were taking this substance for a performance enhancement prior to January 1st of this year, she was within her rights to do so, and was breaking no rules. So again, whether she sought a performance enhancement is irrelevant to the question of whether she was cheating.

If she were cheating (which requires intent) then the penalty should be heavy. If, as her admission that she’s been taking it legally for years (and the contention that didn’t realize it had been prohibited) would suggest, she had no intention of cheating, then her punishment should reflect that.

It is self-serving and simplistic to castigate her as a cheat, in the same way that Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones and Ben Johnson were cheating, given the information in this case. We can all pat ourselves on the back in the delusion that the sport is cleaner by dropping the hammer on her, but that is a double-dose of phony rigidity against doping.

Because there are cheats out there who are intentionally skirting the rules who are laughing and lying about it, and meanwhile the sport has the false appearance of hardly having any doping in it, because the only ones getting caught are getting strung up on technicalities.

March 9th, 2016 at 9:50 am

I’m just curious why someone who was quite concerned about acquiring Diabetes and the idea it runs through her family would start of all possible enterprises, a Candy Company?

March 9th, 2016 at 1:04 pm