Sharapova fails drug test

[Moxie]

I did. As I said, there's a lot of fishy in it. I'm only asking why she came out with it, herself. She had a lot to lose, and she's lost a lot of sponsors. So what did she think she might gain?

 

[Federberg]

She was in damage limitation mode. I applauded her for it, but the sponsors aren't buying what she's trying to sell. The more I hear, the more convinced I am that it's PED. Did you know that before every major athletes are invited to list the medicines they are taking. Had she disclosed the drug she would have been told since the start of last year that it was on the watch list. This wasn't about failing to read an email. I guess the sponsors know that

 

[Moxie]

She was in damage limitation mode. I applauded her for it, but the sponsors aren't buying what she's trying to sell. The more I hear, the more convinced I am that it's PED. Did you know that before every major athletes are invited to list the medicines they are taking. Had she disclosed the drug she would have been told since the start of last year that it was on the watch list. This wasn't about failing to read an email. I guess the sponsors know that

Actually, I didn't know that, but it makes sense, and it makes all this drug thing much less like the Wild West, in terms of what athletes and their teams and doctors know, and what they report. The evidence piling against her is damning. I'm just wondering why she would risk all of her endorsements, in the face of so much evidence against her. If she's been taking a drug for performance-enchancing reasons, for all of these years, why did she sneer at the ITF by continuing to take it post-2015? Is it really just as cynical as that she never thought they'd call her out? Or that she'd call a press conference, tell a good story, and make everything alright? I suppose it's possible, given how much tennis has protected players up until now. But with all of these other scandals coming out, it may be that she's caught between the old and the new and may be the first big player to go down for it. If she's as guilty as that, I will no longer propose options for how it might have been a mistake. I agree with Britbox that you can't retroactively strip trophies. But it seems less plausible now that she just missed a memo. That she had no idea that this drug was on a watch list, or, later, banned. I've lost sympathy for giving her the benefit of the doubt. If they give her a ban that effectively ends her career, I will no longer be sympathetic. Tennis has to clean up its act, which it suddenly seems to have grown a new interest in. If Sharapova goes out with the bath water of the new house-keeping, that's too bad for her, I guess, but it's sounding less and less like it would be unfair.

 

[Federberg]

Actually, I didn't know that, but it makes sense, and it makes all this drug thing much less like the Wild West, in terms of what athletes and their teams and doctors know, and what they report. The evidence piling against her is damning. I'm just wondering why she would risk all of her endorsements, in the face of so much evidence against her. If she's been taking a drug for performance-enchancing reasons, for all of these years, why did she sneer at the ITF by continuing to take it post-2015? Is it really just as cynical as that she never thought they'd call her out? Or that she'd call a press conference, tell a good story, and make everything alright? I suppose it's possible, given how much tennis has protected players up until now. But with all of these other scandals coming out, it may be that she's caught between the old and the new and may be the first big player to go down for it. If she's as guilty as that, I will no longer propose options for how it might have been a mistake. I agree with Britbox that you can't retroactively strip trophies. But it seems less plausible now that she just missed a memo. That she had no idea that this drug was on a watch list, or, later, banned. I've lost sympathy for giving her the benefit of the doubt. If they give her a ban that effectively ends her career, I will no longer be sympathetic. Tennis has to clean up its act, which it suddenly seems to have grown a new interest in. If Sharapova goes out with the bath water of the new house-keeping, that's too bad for her, I guess, but it's sounding less and less like it would be unfair.

Yup. I made the same journey as you. Very disappointing! Never liked her much, but the fact that she fronted up was powerful to me. But now it seems less and less noble

 

[Moxie]

Yup. I made the same journey as you. Very disappointing! Never liked her much, but the fact that she fronted up was powerful to me. But now it seems less and less noble

I didn't care for her especially, early on, but I've grown a lot of respect for her grit and fight. (And that I don't think comes from a pill bottle.) So I'll be especially disappointed if she gets done for cheating. I still think there's an aspect of competitiveness and mental fortitude that makes a difference in tennis, and I don't believe there is a PED that can create it.

 

[Glenys]

Did she announce it knowing that if she didn't WADA/ITT/WTA would? Did she want to get in first to make her out to be a good person who made a simple mistake (as she was trying to say in the presser)

Sorry, don't buy it, someone on her team will have read the email, the WHOLE email and knew. 17% of Russian athletes tested positive for this in 2015 whilst only 2.2% of the rest of the global profession - this is why it made the monitor list - its only on sale in Baltic countries and Russia - it's not FDA approved in America where she lives - THEY KNEW

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Our game has gone through a lot of late,match fixing,umpires,now one of women's elite athletes taking a banned drug,Sharapova owned up to not opening an email from Wadda explaining the up to date banned susbstance.

 

[Moxie]

The only thing I will say in her defense is that there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that would lead us to believe that the ITF or WTA would have exposed it if she hadn't. However, the Russian connection is worth making. I've been resisting it, but Russian athletes have been coming up dirty of late. She is in that sphere of doctors, drug information, etc.

 

[tossip]

Pova's lawyer will get her off with a three month ban, in my opinion. I wish Serena had harsher words about this discovery. Media is spinning it like Serena is hoping Pova is not punished.

no she will not get off that easy...2yrs is the minimum penalty plus a lot of russians have been caught using the same drug...Dick Pound chimed in and is not very symphathetic towards pova...if they get her off easy then they will set a precedent for the other pending cases....even if she gets off easy the dye has been cast...she is a doper signed sealed delivered.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Anyone have any info? @MashaFan ?

like i said , Britbox -- this IS A POLITICAL REVENGE BY THE usa -- JUST MARK my word...

it all follows the lines ..ever since PUTIN declared years ago :
to be specific in the MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE 2007:

''OUR country RUSSIA -- HONORED our commitments at the break[-up of the USSR...we dissolved the warsaw pact in the hope to show good gestures that we are peaceful members of the europen community....but what did we see after that? treaty after treaty were violated -- not by us - but by NATO and the west -- at the instigation of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA -- ...

WE had actually dismantled our missile preparedness pointed at europe - but what did we see instead -- the NATO /american missiles and troops massing inches closer to our borders -- and we are called ' aggressive ?;' ''

=================================

THAT was as signal that RUSSIA WILL not tolerate the DECEIT any further..

fast forward to these past 2 or 3 years:

1) the USA -- after having led a so-called "coalition" - DESTROYED IRAQ
disguising it variously as : "they were in collaboration with AL qaeda "

DISPROVEN as HUSSEIN actually was the MORTAL ENEMY of al qaeda and there was NO al qaeda in iraq so long as he stabilized the country that just happened to have one of the HIGHEST STANDARDS OF living in the middle east...

and why? LIKE PUTIN -- AND GADDAFI - AND IRAN -- these countries declared that as putin said?

|"we have to re-examine our dependence on the USA OF THE USA DOLLAR WHICH costs our national treasuries for the sake of FINANCING america's global military adventures -- "

heck -- OFF with their heads coz they were going to abandon the PETRO-DOLLAR -- the source of the USA'S ''Unlimited funds " from PRINTING worhtless money out of thin air and calling THAT ''store of value".

2) sanctions on ira -- same reasoning - as iran , no matter what
as a signatory to the NON=NUCLEAR WEAPONS proliferation HAS every right like ANY nation to develop nuclear energy -- just like britain, france, russia, china, usa...india, ...

3 sanctions were omposed under the FALSE , unproven accusation that iran \\is about to break-out in WMD nuclear bombs" -- just like with IRAQ...

4) missiles were increase in easter europe RINGING russia with the EXCUSE

"TO DEFEND EUROPE FROM IRANIAN NUCLEAR MISSILES"...
eh? say tha tAGAIN?

5) NO sich thing produced as EVIDENCE by the LYING usa...because it was ALWAYS ABOUT iran REFUSING to continue to sell oil adn gas IN DOLLARS....(and that is proven TODAY , after sanctions, as IRAN PICKS UP WHERE she left off 20 years ago -- ""we will accept payments only in other currencies but NOT dollars''...

6) more justification on sanctions because iran supposedly has NUKES pointed at europe..therefore ? uh -- place NATO/USA missiles ----- at RUSSIA'S doorstep - has anyone ever heard of such WONDERFULLY creative use of the english language?

7) removal of sanctions because the USA ran out of excuses and lying.....

so PUTIN ASKS:

"AS we can see -- there NEVER was a nuclear weapons threat from iran used as justification for the increase of NATO AND USA missiles and troops to Russia's very doorstep......in short -- let us be direct: they lied and these increasees were always about encirclement of russia..

"the reason NOW is that we are aggressive and expansiove ....but look at the map -- whose missiles and , troops and bases are all across the world? is it US? "...

"AND WE are supposed to be nice about it?;"


7) destruction of LIBYA -- presideded over by STATE SECRETARY KILLARY KILLTON -- clapping and exhorting as the leader of a sovereign nation -- no matter how one disliked gaddafi -- was literally murdered and raped with a sword up heis behind?

now let us ask ourselves -- who -- JUST WHO HAVE BEEN THE BARBARIANS AND SAVAGES /?

8) FORWARD --or back-- to syria -- where the USA DEMANDED ""ASSAD MUST GO" since 2007 -- started the CIA operations of PUSHING TERRORISTS insde syria -- from the DESTROYED LIBYA AND IRAQ


funded by SAUDI ARABIA AND QATAR -- with THEIR collective INTEREST IN carving up syria into their 'fiefdoms" and PASSAGE of OIL from qatar to europe ....ERASING the centuries old SYRIAN NATION from existence!

RUSSIA steps in and DEMANDS EVIDECNE from the USA ABOUT ''assad gassed and used chemical warfare on his people|"

none-- NONE were forthcoming -- JUST LIKE with IRAN , LIBYA AND IRAQ!

therefore in a diplomatic triumph -- RUSSIA showed just how the USA LIED AGAIN...in order to DESTROY a ''disobedient" government that ALSO was planning to NOT use the USA DOLLAR (IN FACT syria never did) - --

fast forward to UKRAINE -- staging an ILLEGAL , CRIMINAL coup -- meddling --
that brought to power TRULY one of the most VICIOUS rulers anywhere on earth right now-- in kiev -- whose ''finance minsitry" happens to be chaired by

ooppps -- an AMERICAN CITIZEN? I mean what are we talking about here?

putin ALSO stopped these FASCISTS and NAZIS (OPENLY SELF-DECLARED -- mind you ) --

committing genocide upon the largely RUSSIAN ETHNICS in east ukraine and crimea (both of which WERE ORIGINALLY RUSSIAN territory -- ONLY HANDED over to what was originally a TINY map of ''ukraine" -- which NEVER esxisted as a country to begin with UNTIL russia designated it AS SUCH centureis ago -- because THAT is where the 'RUSS" established the first capital -- of russia -- KIEV) ...

SO what does USA DO THROUGH all these?

why -- TALK TRASH ABOUT SOCHI OLYMPICS, SANCTIONS, now SHARAPOVA...

even going so far as actually KIDNAPPING -- by any proper definition of it -- RUSSIAN citizens in OTHER countries to ''stand trial" in the USA'S KANGAROO courts just for SPITE ON trumped up charges -- like that russian cargo pilot in africa accused of ''drug smuggling" with

NO EVIDENCE whatsoever and REFUSING to have RUSSIAN OFFICIAls and lawyers to even VISIT him to check his severely failing health ...

so -- YA - tennis HAS BEEN engulfed in AMERICAN -- WESTERN

POLITICS

and what they call ''justice"

which is FAST -- OR already -- COMPLETELY -- the LAUGHING STOCK in much of the rest of the REAL free world.

bwahahaha....

just like i said many years ago in other tennis sites...


''the day will come when tennis fans will -- WILL -- be talking about world events because THEY affect TENNIS!"

i WAS right, wasn't it?

lol.

and -- mind you -- RUSSIA ISN'T GOING TO STAND BY and let HER beloved citizen sharapova be SMEARED and dragged in the MUD just to get back at russia and putin -- for STANDING UP to uncle sam -- and HUMILIATING

UNCLE SAM with TRUTH!! IN FRONT of the world...lol.

THIS WHOLE THING doesn't even require a school boy to understand it for what it is --


AN AMERICAN WITCH HUNT FOR '''bad russians"

which of course is the FORMULA -- especially nowadays -- in all mainstream WESTERN MEDIA ...isn't THAT so?

NEXT THING YOU KNOW THEY'LL BLAME PUTIN for ''creating terrorists and isil" -- JUST like some british tabloids, or even GUARDIAN OR BBC...

are now awash in stories abotu PUTIN ''practicing voodoo"

to make 'MERKEL A WEAK LEADER|..''


roflmao!!

i mean IS THIS how LOW the USA and the WEST have descended onto --

AFTER they themsleves created the TERRORISTS AND THE CONDITIONS FOR IT -- AND THE AFTERMATH OF their adventures of WESTERN ''EMPIRE?"

roflmao...

and now they have to resort to some JANUARY ONE 2016

listing of a MEDICATION of a kind that a CERTAIN RUSSIAN player had used WITH THEIR FULL APPROVAL in rules -- for a DECADE?

THEY HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THAT in the near-entirety of HER career...

and as the HUMILIATION trhough EXPOSURE OF DECEIT, LYING AND HYPOCRISY

of the USA -- BY RUSSIA -- at the UN last year and again and again week after week the more the USA and ITS ''western" vassals --

try their deceits --

SUDDENLY
\

THESE 'rules" change for NO APPARENT REASON?

and sharapova is caught in it?


ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--- as SHERLOCK HOLMES Said:


"something is afoot!!".

 

[teddytennisfan]

i have to say -- i am mad at THE DISCONTINUATION of the new TV series ''SHERLOCK"

WITH benedict actor...JUST ABSOLUTELY the very best ever !! my gosh/

also the DRACULA with that brit actor? WHY, WHY WHY ? DID THEY STOP THAT? that ALSO is the very best portrayal i have ever seen! my goodness!

 

[britbox]

Teddy, will have to disagree with you on this one old sport.

She admitted using the drug when it was classed as a banned substance. There is no denial from Team Sharapova... she's admitted it.

 

[britbox]

The rules didn't change for no apparent reason... WADA were concerned about it and put it on the monitoring list in 2015. She's effectively had a year's notice... that there was a strong chance it was going to get banned. There has been some serious negligence in her camp over this. I'm with @Glenys that they will have known the score... it's a multi-million pound business.

 

[masterclass]

Things are looking worse for Sharapova as more info comes out.

Her argument that she was unaware that meldonium had been added to the banned list is more suspicious to me..

From the Times of London, and this article in theaustralian.com:

In December, it has been disclosed, there were three correspondences from the International Tennis Federation [ITF] and two from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), all containing warnings that meldonium - which is also known as mildronate - was to be banned. WADA had also given notice of the fact as early as September.

The communications included “wallet cards” listing banned substances on December 3, a link to the latest documents posted on the international federation’s website on December 7 and a further notification from the women’s association on December 11. On December 22, players were provided with another link via email - which was referred to by Sharapova in her press conference - and there was a final reminder by the WTA on December 29.​

The question remains, is that with all these notices, why would Sharapova still be taking the drug just prior to or during the Australian Open?

1. Did the normally meticulous Sharapova and her team fail a simple intelligence test by ignoring all the notices and taking her medication anyway?

2. Did she blatantly disregard the notices thinking the ITF would protect her, or that she wouldn't be caught?

3. Did she stop taking it earlier but not in time to clear her system entirely?

4. Maria had fallen to #7, was injured, might not have played for awhile anyway. Was she sacrificed by ITF/WTA to show that Anti-Doping is doing their job in the face of the Tennis Integrity Unit, accused of sleeping on the job with regard to betting/match fixing?

Something doesn't feel right about this.
Sharapova appears too smart and careful a person to not know about the drug being on the prohibited list, yet this is the excuse.

Here is another not so flattering article by Tom Fordyce from BBC.

Respectfully,
masterclass

 

[Bert]

I was just thinking of Gasquet's story when he was tested positive for cocaine. Charges were dropped when they agreed that the amount of cocaine in his blood was so low that his story looked possible.

Maria may have told the story of taking this drug for 10 years to be able to discuss how much was found in her body and argue that it could result from a consumption prior to January 2016.

Sounds very hard to swallow... but I just try to save her... and my fees are very reasonable

 

[britbox]

I was just thinking of Gasquet's story when he was tested positive for cocaine. Charges were dropped when they agreed that the amount of cocaine in his blood was so low that his story looked possible.

Maria may have told the story of taking this drug for 10 years to be able to discuss how much was found in her body and argue that it could result from a consumption prior to January 2016.

Sounds very hard to swallow... but I just try to save her... and my fees are very reasonable

Like the idea Bert - maybe she should have talked to you first, but she blew it by admitting she took it in 2016!

 

[britbox]

Things are looking worse for Sharapova as more info comes out.

Her argument that she was unaware that meldonium had been added to the banned list is more suspicious to me..

From the Times of London, and this article in theaustralian.com:

In December, it has been disclosed, there were three correspondences from the International Tennis Federation [ITF] and two from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), all containing warnings that meldonium - which is also known as mildronate - was to be banned. WADA had also given notice of the fact as early as September.

The communications included “wallet cards” listing banned substances on December 3, a link to the latest documents posted on the international federation’s website on December 7 and a further notification from the women’s association on December 11. On December 22, players were provided with another link via email - which was referred to by Sharapova in her press conference - and there was a final reminder by the WTA on December 29.​

The question remains, is that with all these notices, why would Sharapova still be taking the drug just prior to or during the Australian Open?

1. Did the normally meticulous Sharapova and her team fail a simple intelligence test by ignoring all the notices and taking her medication anyway?

2. Did she blatantly disregard the notices thinking the ITF would protect her, or that she wouldn't be caught?

3. Did she stop taking it earlier but not in time to clear her system entirely?

4. Maria had fallen to #7, was injured, might not have played for awhile anyway. Was she sacrificed by ITF/WTA to show that Anti-Doping is doing their job in the face of the Tennis Integrity Unit, accused of sleeping on the job with regard to betting/match fixing?

Something doesn't feel right about this.
Sharapova appears too smart and careful a person to not know about the drug being on the prohibited list, yet this is the excuse.

Here is another not so flattering article by Tom Fordyce from BBC.

Respectfully,
masterclass

Excellent post masterclass, I just read the BBC article... and I'm still finding it hard to figure out how Maria's team could be so damn negligent. Yes, it comes down to to the player, but they pay people to take care of this... at least at the tier she is operating in.

 

[Bert]

Like the idea Bert - maybe she should have talked to you first, but she blew it by admitting she took it in 2016!

Damn it ! She has my number ! What was she thinking about ???

 

[teddytennisfan]

Teddy, will have to disagree with you on this one old sport.

She admitted using the drug when it was classed as a banned substance. There is no denial from Team Sharapova... she's admitted it.

my issue is not about '\'whether" she admitted or not.

SIMPLY aDMITTING

is HARDLY the point -- in the bigger contexst of this nasty matter.

anybody can do that -- admit "i took the drug knowing it was banned -- SINCE JANUARY"

you see the poin there?

taht she admitted is good. she wAS wrong IN cotninuing the MEDICATION

which was banned as a ''performance enhancer"?

WHY WAS IT BANNED at this point in time?

they mean -- tha twith a decade of a medication it took THEM that long to decide it is ''a banned substance? for tennis players and athletes?"

as the only proper reasoning behind it?

so no -- i don't even disagree with you about that fact of her admittions.

and that she was wrong..

but the LARGER context is the SMEARING OF HER entire career

by simply -- out of the blue -- deciding january 2016 -- right at about the time the USA and whose HONCHOS RULE the WTA, USTA, ITF --

IS IN ddeep doodoo with its decades of deceit as ''A FIGHTER OF TERRORISM"

BUT NOW EXPOSED as the auithor of iot all == with its conniving ''allies"!

and is SO desperate to \\'regain" credibility after beiong exposed by russia -- io mean tha t-- LITERALLY being exposed (and let's just say -- russia is being VERY MILD about not showing everything they very likely already know -- documents, who sold what to whom, who received smuggle oil, who they got those hundreds of ford vans from --) ...

tha tthey now ''report a successful operation killing 150 terrorists in -- uh yeme|


but UNLIKE RUSSIA -- never showing evidence ...just like their accusations --

accuse -- present NO evidence or FAKE THEM -- ONLY TO BE EXPOSED -- AND then pretend as if nothing was the matter and move on to the NEXT deceit.....

so -- what i am talking about is NOT that maria ''admitted" -- of course she did.

is she wrong for continuing since january 1 -- we can agree she was --

but -- A BIG BUT -- WHAT MEDICAL REASON TO CONTINUE?

was it not then like the ten years before when the substance was LEGAL in tennis>

SO -- QUESTION FOR THE ''AUTHORITIES"

"WHY DID YOU ALLO WIT FOR TEN YEARS - BECAUSE SURELY -- THAT HAD TO GET YOUR APPROVAL AS A MEDICATION"!

adn therefore THE big question --


not to maria --

but to THESE auithorities --

WHY did you change your classifcation after ten years of OBVIOUS USAGE
AND who GOADED YOU TO MAKE SUCH DECISIONS?

AND for what purpose?


and now we come to UNCLE SAM -- and RUSSIA.

makr my word BRITBOX....

especially

as RUSSIA is not about to let this go away JUST LIKE THAT.

and where they were VERY PATIENT for decades of DECEIT by the USA -- TOWARDS them AND abotu them --


ONCE PUTIN declared to the UN last year --


"''we have had decades after the world war -- in which two powers rivalled -- the USSR was dissolved -- and the cold war was declared dead by those that called themselves victors -- -- and yet RUSSIA remained a threat to them while in the 1990's our country was pillaged and pluindered by russian oligarchs friendly to the western powers? //"


''FOR decades ONE power -- the USA delcared itself the leader of the world...

but what have seen exactly?

countries that were ruined with the export of so-called freedom...whether it was vietnam, laos, cambodia, those in south america, africa, the mioddle eastand central asia...

INSTEAD OF prosperity , peace and human rights -- we saw war, terrorism, homelessness and poverty .....

I ask THOSE who deemed themselves so far above international norms and laws -- that they could change rules as they saw fit for convenience...
\
"do you NOT AT LEAST NOW REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?"

"THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS IN THE WORLD -- in which a SINGLE POWER INSISTS that others must ow before it -- can no longer be tolerated".

IN OTHER WORDS -- no more regime change, an d color revolutiolns and


''demcoracy" fakery!~ by the USA and its european vassals ..who call thsemlves \''\civilized" leaders....



THAT'S WHAT THIS is ABOUT BRITBOX...

we are talking about it ONLY because maria had to admit she was wrong.
FINE...

BUT it goes far, far, far beyond THAT.

 

[britbox]

Don't agree Teddy... I don't think she was goaded into using anything. She probably downed a concoction of supplements including this one, on the advice of her doctor (sports scientist... not the family doctor dishing out aspirin for a headache) ... She's not a pharmacist and probably took stuff on the advice of experts (as I would imagine most of the top players do). I don't see any conspiracy here Teddy, just recklessness, and likely negligence from one of her team.