I would "Like" this, except for the last bit. You're implying that you think some of the elites may have used PEDs, to "sway the honors." Obviously not Nadal, as his records have been leaked, and his TUEs coincide with injury, including lay-off times. So who would you implicate? I'm guessing not Roger.
Welllll, tbh, I hadn't copped to the idea that it was only the TUE database, and I thought it was their testing history, since some folks made such a deal of it. Globally, does this leaking of TUEs tell us anything about a pattern, or misuse? What do we think was the purpose behind it?
That may be true, but it's kind of lazy thinking. Now that all this stuff has come to light, it would be worth it if someone has analyzed it to see what is possibly abuse, and what is clearly legit. Obviously, it's going to be often legitimate. Athletes get injured more often than the rest of us, and a lot of the commonly prescribed solutions involve cortisones and steroids. Use of them, or being a granted a TUE for them is not necessarily any reason for outrage. However, consistent misuse can be, as we've seen with the recent Meldonium ban. But just because WADA and the ITF have not been models of transparency, there is no reason to mistrust all uses of TUEs. Not that you are, but I'm saying we have to be judicious.
In one way, you can think of it as privileged medical information, and it's awkward for WADA or the ITF to simply publish it without putting in place a blanket release from the athletes. But to that point, they should do that, i.e., require that athletes sign a release to all testing results and exemptions granted, and publish them regularly. That would assume they're interested in transparency, however, which doesn't seem to be the case. I would say that is why Nadal, with his many injuries, has talked about his medical interventions voluntarily.
But what and which suspicions are aroused? I'm saying that the ITF/WADA doesn't release, but Nadal has spoken about procedures he's undergone. The lack of disclosure is on the powers that be, is it not? Did you read what the TUEs were for Nadal? 25 Sept. 2009: 3mg Betamethasone - one time, intramuscular. (This was in a year when he'd had an injury lay-off for tendinitis in the knees.) 30 July 2012: Corticotropin - intramuscular, 1x every 3 days, expires 8 Aug. (This was during an injury lay-off. Note that the time allotment would have only allowed for 5 shots, and Nadal didn't play again for 5+ months.) I think Nadal's TUEs make sense. I'm not sure where you're going with Sharapova being targeted, though. For what reason?
You said it was interesting. So, then, in what way? Perhaps you mean "provocative." I really don't see how a former world #1 and multi-slam winner was targeted. The more likely thought, given past experience or general consensus, would be that she'd be protected. She may have had the bad luck to have been complacent about the rules just when they changed, and just when the ITF was coming under more scrutiny. If it's that, I wouldn't say she was "targeted" so much as, when the music stopped, she was short a seat. I think she hit bad judgement in a moment of bad timing.
