Sharapova facing one-year ban for failing to pass drug test

[led]

Throughout her career Maria Sharapova has been the ultimate sporting professional but the 28-year-old Russian admitted on Monday night that one rare moment of unprofessionalism had cost her the chance to carry on playing tennis, which has always been the part of her working life she cherishes the most.

The world’s most famous sportswoman and the planet’s highest-earning female athlete for more than a decade revealed at a press conference in Los Angeles that she had failed a drugs test. Sharapova said she had tested positive at this year’s Australian Open for meldonium, which she had been taking for health reasons since 2006.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances at the start of this year, but Sharapova had not been aware of that fact because she had failed to read details of the updated legislation which had been sent to her. The drug is used to treat chest pain and heart attacks, but it is also said to improve athletic performance and endurance.

Sharapova, who is likely to receive a lengthy ban, said she hoped this would not mark the end of her career. “I made a huge mistake,” she admitted. “I received a letter on 22 December from WADA – an email with the changes happening for next year and a link to a button which you can press to see the prohibited items for 2016. I did not look at that list.”

more here: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/t...-a6918066.html

[-Kev-]

Well she's Russian and it is allowed in Russia. It's just not allowed by FDA/WADA. Also it says that it was added to WADA's list in Jan 2016, so it was recent, and could have been overlooked by a veteran. So her explanation makes sense.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldonium

Meldonium (also known as Mildronate, THP, MET-88, Mildronāts or Quaterine[1]) is a clinically used anti-ischemic drug that is currently manufactured and marketed by Grindeks, a pharmaceutical company based in Latvia.[2] It is used in Lithuania and the Russian Federation,[3] but is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States. Since January 2016, it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of substances banned from use by athletes.

[iLovesoccermoms]

but it is also said to improve athletic performance and endurance.

she knew exactly what she was doing obviously,

[-Kev-]

but it is also said to improve athletic performance and endurance.

she knew exactly what she was doing obviously,

She said that she had been taking the drug for ten years for various health issues, and had not noticed that it had been banned.

She has been taking the drug for 10 years and was fine, now it gets banned. Can't just try to accuse her of cheating now.

[iLovesoccermoms]

She has been taking the drug for 10 years and was fine, now it gets banned. Can't just try to accuse her of cheating now.

this is a post from shrdog

"She was cheating, not using prescription for a magnesium deficiency.

A ****ing 10 yr Mg deficiency? LOL.

Cardiac drugs are not new as a form of cheating. "

[-Kev-]

this is a post from shrdog

"She was cheating, not using prescription for a magnesium deficiency.

A ****ing 10 yr Mg deficiency? LOL.

Cardiac drugs are not new as a form of cheating. "

A post from another poster from another forum?

[iLovesoccermoms]

A post from another poster from another forum?

that's how I roll

[about.thousands]

She has been taking the drug for 10 years and was fine, now it gets banned. Can't just try to accuse her of cheating now.

There must be a lot of athletes with that same health problem because a couple of them have been busted for that drug this year.

[.!WAR MIKEY!.]

I knew meeting Mayweather at the espy was gonna be a bad influence on her.

[BigNuts]

Takes the drug for 10 years and still gets completely obliterated by Serena.