Maria Sharapova suspended 2 years for failed drugs test!!

[Bass56]

http://www.tsn.ca/sharapova-suspende...-test-1.503496

The five-time Grand Slam champion was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation in early March, when she announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that she failed a doping test in January.
Sharapova said then she was not aware that the World Anti-Doping Agency had barred athletes from using meldonium, also known as mildronate, as of Jan. 1.
Her lawyer, John Haggerty, said Sharapova took the substance after that date... Sharapova announced in a statement on Facebook she will appeal the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This may be the end of her career; I doubt she makes a comeback at 31+ when the suspension is over (that's if the appeal fails).

[havanablast21]

Her presence on my television will be missed.

[Dikoi]

A little harsh IMO.

[havanablast21]

A little harsh IMO.

What? She still looks good!

Oh...you mean the suspension.

[Mr. Guru]

Meldonium (INN), trade-named as Mildronate among others, is a limited-market pharmaceutical, developed in 1970 by Ivars Kalviņš, and manufactured primarily by Grindeks of Latvia and several generic manufacturers. It is distributed in Eastern European countries as an anti-ischemia medication.[1]

Since 1 January 2016, it has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of substances banned from use by athletes.[2] However, there are debates over its use as an athletic performance enhancer. Some athletes are known to have been using it before it was banned.[3] It is currently unscheduled in the US.

[Axeman33]

Harsh but a message needs to be sent. Glad to see the ATP takes this stuff seriously. Other major sports should take notice.

[Eskimo Brother]

At 29 she is already past the peak of her career. This is a really tough blow, as getting back into it at 31 after 2 years off will be tough.
Agree with Axe though, the message needed to be sent, and should show other major sports how to handle it.

[Mr. Guru]

The drug she was using was just banned on Jan 1.

I can see her appeal lowering the suspension for sure.


I can see her coming back from this.

[Goldendelicious]

Meh, she's still a rocket.

[2014olympicgold]

Tennis is so corrupt from the top down I bet there was someone asking for a bribe to make this go away.

Harsh, but needed, however it won’t start the ball rolling. I bet stuff has gone on unpunished because of the right price, and stuff will continue to go on for the right price.

Tennis to me is on the level of corruption as FIFA. FIFA is the worse, but the ITF is on the same level.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-te...-idUSKCN0VI1HR

[Instant Karma]

The drug she was using was just banned on Jan 1.

I can see her appeal lowering the suspension for sure.


I can see her coming back from this.

Agreed. If it had been banned for years I could see it, but this is a bit extreme. I can see the need to crack down, but a wise man learns to choose his battles. Otherwise he runs the risk of being viewed as a fanatic.

I'd be curious to see how many WTA players/coaches even know what this stuff is and that it was a banned substance. I'd bet next to none.

[iwinthings]

Agreed. If it had been banned for years I could see it, but this is a bit extreme. I can see the need to crack down, but a wise man learns to choose his battles. Otherwise he runs the risk of being viewed as a fanatic.

I'd be curious to see how many WTA players/coaches even know what this stuff is and that it was a banned substance. I'd bet next to none.

If they don't know about it they are completely negligent. This drug and it's use has been all over the press lately across tons of different sports. It's the reason Russian athletes have been banned all over the place.

[Instant Karma]

If they don't know about it they are completely negligent. This drug and it's use has been all over the press lately across tons of different sports. It's the reason Russian athletes have been banned all over the place.

Does "lately" mean before or after Sharapova's suspension was announced in March this year? Because I'm thinking those other bans were announced more recently.

[iwinthings]

Does "lately" mean before or after Sharapova's suspension was announced in March this year? Because I'm thinking those other bans were announced more recently.

I meant now of course, but it's insanely naive to not think that pro athletes and their coaches/trainers etc didn't know what it was or that it was or that it was banned. When you have an entire world jr hockey teams taking it it's clearly a massively used drug that was being used across the board by Russian athletes, from curlers, to volleyball players.

You want me to believe that prior to March they didn't know what it was....lol. Come on. The ban happened Jan 1, but the details were out three months before that. Plenty of time to stop using it but they all think they won't get caught. Idiots. They deserve everything they get.

[Instant Karma]

I meant now of course, but it's insanely naive to not think that pro athletes and their coaches/trainers etc didn't know what it was or that it was or that it was banned. When you have an entire world jr hockey teams taking it it's clearly a massively used drug that was being used across the board by Russian athletes, from curlers, to volleyball players.

You want me to believe that prior to March they didn't know what it was....lol. Come on. The ban happened Jan 1, but the details were out three months before that. Plenty of time to stop using it but they all think they won't get caught. Idiots. They deserve everything they get.

I don't believe that it's "insanely naive" to think they were unaware that a substance had been banned 90 days after the fact. "lol" that all you want. If you want to assume that they did, that's your business, but keep in mind that's an assumption on your part.

Your exhibiting the signs of fanaticism that I was just referring to when you just assume that everyone's guilt must go without saying.