Maria Sharapova fails drugs test

**Lord Snooty** · 07-03-2016, 22:43

Called her own press conference tonight to make the announcement. Turns out it's a medication she's been taking for ten years and only got banned on the 1st of January this year. Therefore she failed the drugs test at the Aussie Open.
Genuine mistake if you ask me and the authorities should show leniancy. They won't though and she'll probably get a 12 month ban.
She's not a cheat. Footballers who dive in the penalty area are cheats. Maria Sharapova isn't. Unless of course it turns out that this is a masking agent to hide a more serious drug.

Any opinions on this?

Amelia Chaffinch · 07-03-2016, 23:01

I have never been a fan but admire her for this.

**St Charles Owl** · 07-03-2016, 23:14

I would call it the same as you Snoots. If she has been taking this medication for 10 years then its a superb masking agent if that is the case as there have been major advancements in both the drugs used and the tests to detect them, so for that reason I would say this is a genuine case of a mistake or really bad medical advice!! I would be inclined to ban her for the French Open just on the grounds that she and her management team should have known better and need to do a much better job for her in the future.

My only other thing is what is she taking this medication for?? 10 years is a long time to be taking something, why was she taking it?

**El Car** · 07-03-2016, 23:25

(07-03-2016, 22:43)Lord Snooty Wrote: Called her own press conference tonight to make the announcement. Turns out it's a medication she's been taking for ten years and only got banned on the 1st of January this year. Therefore she failed the drugs test at the Aussie Open.
Genuine mistake if you ask me and the authorities should show leniancy. They won't though and she'll probably get a 12 month ban.
She's not a cheat. Footballers who dive in the penalty area are cheats. Maria Sharapova isn't. Unless of course it turns out that this is a masking agent to hide a more serious drug.

Any opinions on this?

Well the other way of looking at it is that for 10 years she's been taking a drug that's been found to be used extensively by Eastern Europeans to enhance sporting performance. It just wasn't outlawed until recently. In other words, while she wasn't cheating, her performances have been boosted by this drug for some time. Mind you, I'm sure plenty of sports figures will use every lawful method and substance they can to improve themselves.

**Lord Snooty** · 07-03-2016, 23:31

Apparently there's a Russian ice dancer been done for the same thing today. They're all at it these Ruskies. Rolleyes

Devongone · 08-03-2016, 11:55

I'm confused. Didn't I use this stuff to whiten my plimos and cricket boots?

It clearly doesn't help you beat Serena Williams.

**El Car** · 08-03-2016, 21:45

And interesting take on Sharapova's press conference from the BBC's Tom Fordyce here.

Let's just say he appears rather cynical of her performance.

Devongone · 09-03-2016, 12:15

It seems to me she has simply accidentally been caught out taking a drug which probably provides some performance advantages, otherwise why would it be appearing in so many cheat samples .....

She'd have had to be an idiot deliberately to carry on taking it after the ban. But she's had 10 years of whatever advantages it provided.

Tennis courts will be quieter for a while, but the rewards are so huge for athletes of all kinds that they are taking drugs both prescription and of varying degrees of dodginess to gain advantages ..... They just are. And some will fall off cliffs they didn't even realise were there.

The answer's stick to Ribena.

**St Charles Owl** · 09-03-2016, 23:07

(08-03-2016, 21:45)El Car Wrote: And interesting take on Sharapova's press conference from the BBC's Tom Fordyce here.

Let's just say he appears rather cynical of her performance.

Interesting article and one that certainly makes me question her more regarding this. I asked earlier why she was taking medication for 10 years in the hope it was for some ailment or condition she has, but now that we know this drug is designed to help people with chronic heart failure, but also happens to have performance enhancing properties suggests to me that she was taking it for one reason only!! As for cheating, does the fact that the drug was not on the banned list until this year mean she wasn't gaining an advantage by taking it?? For me I suppose its no different to athletes taking other supplements or vitamins or other dietary things that help them perform as an athlete but are not banned.

Either way, she will be banned and rightly so, there can be no excuses for not opening an email from the administrators who look after drug enforcement nor can she claim to not have realized the name difference when its clearly marked in numerous places, she broke the rules, she takes the ban.

Amelia Chaffinch · 10-03-2016, 00:34

I have gone back to thinking she's a fake. The press conference was a damage limitation PR exercise.