Sharapova fails drug test

[tented]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

 

[tossip]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

no she is going to be the example....just a feeling that she will not get away with a slap on the. wrist..she was too smug and this will humble her no matter the sentence....no more prancing and looking down on other players...this allegation will shake her to the core.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

There's zero chance she's getting 4 years. 1 year would surprise me as the authorities are gutless.

Marin Cilic, who is much less famous, got away with just 4 months ban (the initial ITF verdict was 9 months ban and it got reduced to 4 on appeal) after testing positively.

Maria is lot more famous. However, this fame can play either way. The authorities might be concerned that there will be more scrutiny of their actions given her fame.

My guess is somewhere between 6 months and 2 years (most likely 1 year).

Even a six months ban is good enough to keep her out of RG, Wimby, Rio and USO.

 

[Calvy]

they can gloss it over in gold dust all they can that spectre of being a doper has touched her career and the wold will look at her with different eyes..no more saying she is mentally strong because we now know she got it from the drug...

Again as I keep saying, SO MANY players out there are doping and just not getting caught and you can be sure these players everyone says have amazing mental strength are taking something for their concentration. Either a highly effective drug that happens to not be on the banned list or they're using a masking agent to hide it. Diuretics act as masking agents and hence why so many players are cramping in recent years. It's not 'cos they're not fit enough it's because many of them are doping and taking diuretics to hide the PEDs but the effect of diuretics is dehydration so they cramp. The media and officials of course are idiots and simply put it down to hot conditions and that the players aren't fit enough. Clueless and of course they keep on getting away with it time and time again, week in week out.

Well, you may not be aware of this, but, they test for diuretics when doing the dope testing. So, it wouldn't be an effective tool.

 

[tossip]

...well just heard the commentators from IW say her penalty is going to be between 2yrs and 4yrs...just heard Rafa saying there is no excuse for negligence and the sport must be clean so she should not get a pass..no symphathy or sugarcoating from Nadal was black and white no pc nonsense.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Latest news:

The World Anti-Doping Agency is prepared to go to court to demand a tougher sanction if it believes that Maria Sharapova has been let off the hook after her positive drugs test, the organisation’s president has warned.


Sir Craig Reedie said that he would be “watching very carefully” for the outcome of the tribunal that will rule on the former Wimbledon champion, 28, who tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.

Sharapova’s lawyer has made it clear that her legal team will be pushing hard for a short ban, or even none at all. Wada, however, has the power to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to increase the ban.

Speaking at the Tackling Doping in Sport conference in London, Reedie said: “In most cases we exercise that right when we think there is a really serious case to answer. There will clearly be a great deal of interest in what the International Tennis Federation [ITF] do. My guess is we will watch this one very carefully.”

While ITF/ATP/WTA has vested interests in protecting the image of tennis and/or its top players, WADA has no such interests. So, they will indeed be watching carefully.

 

[tossip]

I told you she will not get off lightly....she is going to be the example

 

[britbox]

Dick Pound, the WADA guy has no sympathy for Maria.

Pound said the use of meldonium was widespread in tennis before it was banned.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-...ke-up-call-for-tennis-says-dick-pound/7235344

"Clearly within the tennis circles they were aware that a lot of players were using it, so there must be something in it," Canadian Pound told reporters at a conference on doping.

 

[colleen66]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

The question is why is she taking a drug for over 10 years for ailments I presume she is not suffering from? The drug might have been legal until this year, but was it ethical that she used it? My students in my bioethics course just happened to be on the topic of steroids and PEDs, when Maria made her announcement. We have been having some lively discussions and debates about what is legal vs what is ethical.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

According to Body Language Expert Dr. Glass the only time Maria appeared sincere during the course of the "mea culpa" press conference was when she told she loves the game very much.

 

[Kirijax]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

I agree with tented. With all the excuses she has already come up with and the excuses they will makes in the hearings, plus the amount of money and exposure she brings to the sport, there is no way she will be banned longer than a year. Six months is my guess. Not saying that is right, but that's what will probably happen.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Knowing what we now know about Meldonium, the chance of getting even a regular TUE (let alone retroactive) is extremely small unless Maria can document that she had angina or ischemia from a shady Russian doctor.

So, their best defense is to openly admit that she took it for performance enhancement, but it is legal until dec 2015 and she took it jan 2016 as she and her team goofed off.

 

[tented]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

The question is why is she taking a drug for over 10 years for ailments I presume she is not suffering from? The drug might have been legal until this year, but was it ethical that she used it? My students in my bioethics course just happened to be on the topic of steroids and PEDs, when Maria made her announcement. We have been having some lively discussions and debates about what is legal vs what is ethical.

Excellent question! I'd be curious what you and your students have discussed. It could help our discussion here.

Personally, I don't think it was appropriate for her to have been taking a drug for that long which she didn't need. Clearly she was taking it for its performance-enhancing aspects, which wasn't ethical, IMO, however it was legal.

 

[Front242]

they can gloss it over in gold dust all they can that spectre of being a doper has touched her career and the wold will look at her with different eyes..no more saying she is mentally strong because we now know she got it from the drug...

Again as I keep saying, SO MANY players out there are doping and just not getting caught and you can be sure these players everyone says have amazing mental strength are taking something for their concentration. Either a highly effective drug that happens to not be on the banned list or they're using a masking agent to hide it. Diuretics act as masking agents and hence why so many players are cramping in recent years. It's not 'cos they're not fit enough it's because many of them are doping and taking diuretics to hide the PEDs but the effect of diuretics is dehydration so they cramp. The media and officials of course are idiots and simply put it down to hot conditions and that the players aren't fit enough. Clueless and of course they keep on getting away with it time and time again, week in week out.

Well, you may not be aware of this, but, they test for diuretics when doing the dope testing. So, it wouldn't be an effective tool.

I'm well aware of it actually and the fact that the testing is beyond a joke. For example, the reason Sharapova was caught was because they still test the losing player and not the winning player which is nuts. Also diuretics are gone from your system in no time and seeing as they remove water from your body they make your body dilute and excrete PEDs making micro dosing easy. It's not hard at all to get away with it 'cos the testing is pathetic and nowhere near frequent enough. All it takes is for the player to drink a lot of water at the changeovers and go for a bathroom break after a set and it's pretty much gone. The cheats use the fastest acting diuretics out there.

 

[tossip]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3484161/Tennis-star-Maria-Sharapova-did-not-tell-national-team-doctor-taking-banned-substance-meldonium-Russian-tennis-boss-claims.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCsvdfvMTDk/?taken-by=serenawilliams...Serena is mean...lol

 

[Fefe26]

so she was warned 5 times about the drug and still took it.

 

[isabelle]

According to l'Equipe, Maria said she still wantedto play, no retiring plans for the moment, she's only 28 (remember Hingis !!)

 

[shawnbm]

If Masha is knocked out for two years or more, I would have a difficult time seeing her returning to tennis. She is so famous, so wealthy and likes the limelight so, that I could see her commentating, modelling, partying and moving into fashion more full time. She could continue to earn a fortune and play exhibitions now and then for huge fees. She will always bring folks to an event. Also, I think Martina Hingis is a special player--and she could still compete at the highest levels in singles today (she seems to be better than most any player on the court in any given doubles match). She is quick and smart in her play; it is an easier thing for her to come back after a few years than the much taller, lumbering Sharapova, IMHO.

 

[colleen66]

so she was warned 5 times about the drug and still took it.

If this is true, then her inaction shows a high level of arrogance. Did she believe that as a top star in the sport, she would be exempt from punishment or exposure? This is troubling.

 

[colleen66]

I doubt she will be banned for longer than 6 months. Maybe 12, but probably not. She's too important in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership to ban her for 2-4 years. Plus, since it's something she had been taking for years, and was only banned this year, they're going to treat this differently than if she had been caught injecting steroids, for example.

The question is why is she taking a drug for over 10 years for ailments I presume she is not suffering from? The drug might have been legal until this year, but was it ethical that she used it? My students in my bioethics course just happened to be on the topic of steroids and PEDs, when Maria made her announcement. We have been having some lively discussions and debates about what is legal vs what is ethical.

Excellent question! I'd be curious what you and your students have discussed. It could help our discussion here.

Personally, I don't think it was appropriate for her to have been taking a drug for that long which she didn't need. Clearly she was taking it for its performance-enhancing aspects, which wasn't ethical, IMO, however it was legal.

My students do not have any real interest in the tennis. They follow baseball and football. They were aware of what Maria's announcement because it was on the news. I also played her press conference in class and gave them the information on the drug she took and arguments posed by those sympathetic and upset by her explanations.

Almost 100% of my students admired her honesty in admitting to failed test and her use of the drug. "At least she admitted it and didn't try to blame it on poor testing, etc.....," was the common phrase repeated during class. Everyone agreed that she should be banned for 6-12 months and be made to give back any prize money she earned this year. They thought she was "stupid" but not a real "cheater" when compared to Alex Rodriquez, Lance Armstrong and the US track star , Gaitlin(?). Even though the drug was not banned at one time (legal) they thought she was unethical in taking it if it increased performance on the court.

When asked about her legacy, the discussions became heated. With half of the class believing that she should not be admitted into the HOF and the other half stating that if she does the time, she should be admitted but......with an asterisk. They also believed that ARod should be admitted in the HOF as well! (Please remember that these are 17-18 year olds)