Maria Sharapova Forum Thread: News, Images, Features and Video

[MashaFan]

Maria Sharapova @Vanity Fair Oscars party

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[MashaFan]

 

[britbox]

Masha is out of of Indian Wells

 

[MashaFan]

Maria Sharapova’s 5 Secrets To Bouncing Back From A Challenge
http://www.self.com/wellness/2016/03/maria-sharapova-bouncing-back-from-a-challenge/

 

[MashaFan]

World No. 7 Maria Sharapova Withdraws From BNP Paribas Open
http://www.bnpparibasopen.com/en/media-and-news/news/2016/03/03/sharapova-withdraw

 

[MashaFan]

Maria Sharapova fails drug test: Her statement in full after testing positive for meldonium
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-testing-positive-for-meldonium-a6917911.html

http://www.mariasharapova.com/press-conference-march-7-2016/

http://www.itftennis.com/news/225826.aspx

 

[isabelle]

Poor Mashafan what a shock for you feel sorry for you lady

 

[MashaFan]

Poor Mashafan what a shock for you feel sorry for you lady

Thanks It truly was a shock

 

[britbox]

I feel for you @MashaFan too, and I'm interested in your views on the whole thing... Do you think somebody on the team really f**ked up?

 

[MashaFan]

More news articles about Masha's drug case

http://zeenews.india.com/tags/maria-sharapova.html

 

[MashaFan]

I feel for you @MashaFan too, and I'm interested in your views on the whole thing... Do you think somebody on the team really f**ked up?

Thanks britbox
I'm probably way to biased to be able to give an objective opinion about Masha drug case but these are the points I've been pondering about:
1) I'm so sorry for Masha - She had a long and successful career without any scandals on or off court and then such a thing happen This will haunt her no matter if she's allowed to play again on a short term like the OG in Rio or not
2) I question if the drug really was such an performance-enhancing drug else it would have been banned a long time ago and many more athletes would have used this wonderful drug which has been legal since at least 2007
3) I'm sure that if Masha had been aware that the drug would be on the list from Jan 1 she would have stopped using it immediately
4) The only tournament Masha has played after Jan 1 is the AO in which she reached the QF so it's not like she has gained a lot after the drug has been on the list - It would not be fair to punish Masha retroactive - A 4 years max sentence seems way to exaggerated
5) It's peculiar that someone can be completely legal before Jan 1 and suddenly be a drug abuser after that date There should be a some kind of adaption period and a better warning system

Regarding point 3, 4 and 5 in my opinion Masha therefor should only get a warning and be stripped of the points she gained at the AO - In my opinion the punishment should be very limited else it will be taken as a severe offense which it in my humble opinion is not - The lesser punishment the lesser stain on Masha's name - Also since many of Masha's endorsement deals have gotten awry because of this that also should be taken in consideration

 

[isabelle]

Hingis came back and won...Masha"ll do the same

 

[MashaFan]

Hingis came back and won...Masha"ll do the same

Thanks for the heads up

 

[britbox]

Thanks britbox
I'm probably way to biased to be able to give an objective opinion about Masha drug case but these are the points I've been pondering about:
1) I'm so sorry for Masha - She had a long and successful career without any scandals on or off court and then such a thing happen This will haunt her no matter if she's allowed to play again on a short term like the OG in Rio or not
2) I question if the drug really was such an performance-enhancing drug else it would have been banned a long time ago and many more athletes would have used this wonderful drug which has been legal since at least 2007
3) I'm sure that if Masha had been aware that the drug would be on the list from Jan 1 she would have stopped using it immediately
4) The only tournament Masha has played after Jan 1 is the AO in which she reached the QF so it's not like she has gained a lot after the drug has been on the list - It would not be fair to punish Masha retroactive and the 4 years max sentence seems way to exaggerated
5) It's peculiar that someone can be completely legal before Jan 1 and suddenly be a drug abuser after that date

Regarding point 3 and 4 in my opinion Masha therefor should only get a warning and be stripped of the points she gained at the AO - In my opinion the punishment should be very limited else it will be taken as a severe offense which it in my humble opinion is not - The lesser punishment the lesser stain on Masha's name - Also since many of Masha's endorsement deals have gotten awry because of this that also should be taken in consideration

I have sympathy for Maria fans, I counted myself as one... obviously to a far lesser degree than yourself. Fans invest in players.

The drug is performance enhancing or players wouldn't take it. Dick Pound (WADA) said it was widespread in tennis based on their 2015 monitoring. Most of these drugs are performance enhancing even from a medicinal angle... or they wouldn't be prescribed.

Now, pre-Jan 2016, I believe nothing should be affected regarding Maria's titles, achievements etc.... The drug was not banned. if it's not banned then it can be used, whether we like the principle or not.
So IMO, everything stands...

I don't agree with (5)... PEDs get banned at some point in time. EPO wasn't on the banned list for a while and then it was.... was it performance enhancing? Definitely. Were people using it classed as cheats when it wasn't banned? No.... but they are cheats when they use it afterwards, because they aren't abiding by the rules of the sport.

In Maria's case, I believe one of her team let her down badly... but the buck stops with her. It is what it is... But I also don't buy all the diabetes stuff.... it wasn't for that, it was for performance enhancement. Not wrong in itself... until it was banned.

 

[isabelle]

Head"ll continue to sponsor her

 

[Billie]

Yeah, they gave the statement that they reviewed her case and that they believe it was an honest mistake, which Masha admitted herself.

I am surprised at Nike turning their backs to her. It's like they never offered a deal to real drug cheats.

 

[MashaFan]

Sharapova fights back over 'distorted' reporting of doping case
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/12/tennis/maria-sharapova-fightback-facebook/index.html

 

[MashaFan]

Sharapova suspension: Doping agency's unfair game of 'gotcha'?
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/11/o...ticle_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork

QUOTE:
WADA only announced meldonium would appear on the 2016 banned list in fall 2015.

No doubt, Sharapova and her business people are guilty of poorly managing her career by neglecting to carefully review the new banned list. But Sharapova said she knew the drug only as mildronate, not meldonium, and elaborated in Facebook post to her fans about how, she said, notices about the updated list buried the drug's addition in a maze of links, dense text and a poorly designed wallet card.

But does anyone doubt that Sharapova would have stopped the drug had she known it was on the list? Does anyone believe Sharapova thought meldonium so important to her performance that she intentionally decided she'd take her chances and continue taking the drug, hoping not to get caught? Surely not.

WADA shouldn't behave as if Sharapova participated in an attempt to deceive it. And particularly for drugs like meldonium, where legitimate uses can be argued, the agency should offer a grace period for athletes taking newly banned drugs. The anti-doping agency's gotcha system, in cases like Sharapova's, cast more shadow on professional sport than is necessary.

Athletes who've been upfront about their use of a substance that's permitted up until a particular date deserve a discreet heads-up about positive results during a grace period that allows them time to rectify the situation by stopping the drug or applying for a TUE.

Furthermore, outside of the banned list, WADA allows athletes to take any drug legally approved by any state health authority anywhere. It's a big world out there, and niche drugs like meldonium circulate in corners of it out of the scope of big dog agencies like the FDA.

WADA should bind its athletes to drugs that have passed a gauntlet set up by a large agency like the FDA.

 

[MashaFan]

Masha speaks Russian (Interview FED Cup)

 

[MashaFan]

HEAD stands with Maria Sharapova