Sharapova fails drug test

[Moxie]

I think she admitted to taking the drug during the AO2016. She just said she didn't know it was banned as of 2016.

There's something I've read in the various news reports but am a bit fuzzy on: supposedly, players fill out some form where they list what medications they are taking before a tournament. If that's so, and if she didn't list the newly banned substance, then she was obscuring that she was taking it. A lot of "ifs," I realize. Does anyone know about how athletes report what medications they are taking? I also heard they are adjudicating her case now, so shouldn't we hear something soon?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

3 athletes who tested positive for Meldonium said that they stopped taking it after taking notice of the 22nd December notification of its new illegal status, but still tested positive and the manufacturers have said that some traces of the drug can remain in the body for up to 3 months. If they have evidence for this and are believed, these 3 athletes could effectively be exonerated and a case could be made that all tests in the period after 22nd December for up to 3 months afterwards should be scrapped, as no allowance was made for clearance out of the system.

If so, Maria's test could be expunged, except she has already confessed in the press conference that she missed the 22nd December notification and continued to take Meldonium in ignorance; she also confessed to having taken it for 10 years prior to that.

So, if her confession was unnecessary, was that press conference a big mistake ? Should she have kept quiet and wait to see what happened ? She might have shot herself in the foot.

It was put on watchlist on 1st Jan 2015. As early as in Sep 2015, WADA has announced in its web page that it will be banned from 1st Jan 2016. From that point onwards, it was communicated to players at different times by different means. In reality any player could have directly found out in Sep 2015 also. Also, there is no excuse that who is going to be checking WADA website everyday. Every year, the do announce in Sep the changes in the list of banned substance. The reason they do it so early is to make sure that people have time to get it off the system.

 

[Front242]

"Maria Sharapova was caught at the Australian Open following the biggest anti-doping operation ever mounted in tennis.

Every player, male or female, who played any form of singles in Melbourne was given a blood test as part of the unprecedented sweep, primarily designed to expand the sport’s biological passport programme.

With the two qualifying draws taken into account it means that well over 450 blood tests were carried out, and additional random examinations during the event occurred as well."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-3519639/Maria-Sharapova-caught-biggest-drug-sweep-tennis-history.html#ixzz44d8VSMD5

 

[GameSetAndMath]

"Maria Sharapova was caught at the Australian Open following the biggest anti-doping operation ever mounted in tennis.

Every player, male or female, who played any form of singles in Melbourne was given a blood test as part of the unprecedented sweep, primarily designed to expand the sport’s biological passport programme.

With the two qualifying draws taken into account it means that well over 450 blood tests were carried out, and additional random examinations during the event occurred as well."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-3519639/Maria-Sharapova-caught-biggest-drug-sweep-tennis-history.html#ixzz44d8VSMD5

I too read that article. We got to be on the lookout for players who are silently MIA now. If there are any we can reasonably suspect that they are under investigation and as per the stupid rule of ITF they are keeping the names anonymous.

However, offhand I could not think of any top 50 names in either men or women who are out of action without a legitimate reason.

If that be the case, Dominatrix would be the only one among tennis players who is UIM (under the influence of Meldonium). But, this directly contradicts with Dick Pounds's statement that in tennis circles, use of Meldonium is quite common.

 

[10isfan]

The half-life of Meldonium is 5 hours. A person who takes a 500 mg pill will have one mg left in his system after two days. Three months to cleanse are generous and can't cause a positive test. These guilty athletes are lying to save themselves.

To answer the poster above, Pova didn't shoot herself in the foot by coming forward. Doing so will reduce the length of ban.

 

[tossip]

coming forward because you are caught means nothing,she had that press conference to manipulate the situation ...just a pr stunt to make herself look good....if she was honest she shouldnt have taken this drug for 10yrs under false pretences...
this confession really made her look guilty...imagine if you played and lost to her over ten years,you wonder whether she won because of the doping....that publicity stunt is going to bite her in the back because she ended up saying things that are not plausible..like diabetes and taking this drug as a healthy 18yr old...

 

[Kieran]

"Maria Sharapova was caught at the Australian Open following the biggest anti-doping operation ever mounted in tennis.

Every player, male or female, who played any form of singles in Melbourne was given a blood test as part of the unprecedented sweep, primarily designed to expand the sport’s biological passport programme.

With the two qualifying draws taken into account it means that well over 450 blood tests were carried out, and additional random examinations during the event occurred as well."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-3519639/Maria-Sharapova-caught-biggest-drug-sweep-tennis-history.html#ixzz44d8VSMD5

I too read that article. We got to be on the lookout for players who are silently MIA now.

Federer is the only one MIA right now, nursing a runny nose...

 

[PaintMaria]

The half-life of Meldonium is 5 hours. A person who takes a 500 mg pill will have one mg left in his system after two days. Three months to cleanse are generous and can't cause a positive test. These guilty athletes are lying to save themselves.

To answer the poster above, Pova didn't shoot herself in the foot by coming forward. Doing so will reduce the length of ban.

The manufacturers agree that Meldonium has a short half life of 5 hours but say that some residual traces of the drug can remain in the system and can be detectable for 3 months.

 

[PaintMaria]

The manufacturers also say that Meldonium is cardio-protective and prevents ischemic cells from dying, thus preventing heart damage from over-exertion, so, even if Maria has EKGs from 10 years ago suggesting heart problems, if they demanded heart tests now, hers should be in excellent shape.

 

[Front242]

Of course she'll get some corrupt medical experts to forge documents from 10 years ago saying her heart was in tatters. I guarantee it.

 

[PaintMaria]

She's 18 years old, but she's got the heart of an 81 year old, the corrupt cardiologist reports; then, 10 years later, she's got a super-fit heart. What made all the difference, and recovered her hopeless heart ? It must be the miraculous Meldonium.

 

[10isfan]

Unless Meldonium has hydrophobic properties which enables it to be stored in fatty tissue, I can't see how it would be in someone's system for three months. Maybe a few molecules do which makes the statement true. We should keep in mind that the manufacturer is benefiting from all this free advertising, and is motivated to release information that will increase its revenues.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

This may be a good place to chronicle Dominatrix's ranking fall as well. In the rankings that will come out on Monday, she will be out of top 8. It would be interesting to see how far she falls and if she does fall below 100, will she have the humility needed to play in challengers, leaving aside the Diva role.

 

[Fiero425]

This may be a good place to chronicle Dominatrix's ranking fall as well. In the rankings that will come out on Monday, she will be out of top 8. It would be interesting to see how far she falls and if she does fall below 100, will she have the humility needed to play in challengers, leaving aside the Diva role.

If she has the nerve to come back, any and all tournaments will give her WC's; mark my words! :nono :cover

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Ya, that is true. She may not have to play in lowly challengers, thanks to being tall and blonde.

 

[10isfan]

She will get wild cards, but no protected ranking which means she could meet top players in first rounds. Without match practice, it will take a while to get back to being seeded. I don't doubt she will try just to prove she can unless she succumbs to injury, which is also a definite possibility.

 

[Kieran]

She'll find it difficult to face a sceptical or hostile crowd when she returns. Had Agassi served the ban that was his due, he'd have been destroyed by it. She's going to struggle with any crowd that doesn't love her unconditionally...

 

[PaintMaria]

She'll find it difficult to face a sceptical or hostile crowd when she returns. Had Agassi served the ban that was his due, he'd have been destroyed by it. She's going to struggle with any crowd that doesn't love her unconditionally...

Like this crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E9OhLE3t4U

And her first coach said Maria "was such a sweet girl". Do sweet girls use the f-word in public ?

Mind you, her first coach said he did not know she had heart problems or diabetes tendencies, and he did not know she was taking any drugs, either for medical reasons or otherwise.

So maybe 2006 was when she turned to the Dark Side and got addicted to Meldonium, which might have had an adverse effect on her personality.

 

[PaintMaria]

A top Russian gymnast after failing a test for Meldonium claims not to have taken it since August 2015: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3520820/Top-Russian-gymnast-fails-drug-test-meldonium-found.html

 

[10isfan]

The gymnast is lying. What reason could he have had to stop doping in August? The drug was on the watch list. Nobody knew whether it would be added to the ban list or not until September. Why would be prematurely stop, knowing that without the PED, he might not perform as well? These athletes are desperate. They hope that if enough of them scream foul, WADA might have to cave in. It is an Olympic year, and those caught have nothing to lose by saying or doing whatever they can to regain entry to the Games. Pathetic. They should get a life ban.