Sharapova

[Banquo]

....bit unlucky, bit cheaty, or a bit daft?

She's been taking a drug (unlicensed outside Russia) called mildronate to 'regulate her heart', prescribed by 'the family doctor' for 10 years. This drug is also called meldonium, and was banned by WADA in January this year. Apparently she didn't know they were the same.

At face value, unlucky; however, you'd think she'd know to be careful or at least be better advised.

[Renniks]

....bit unlucky, bit cheaty, or a bit daft?

She's been taking a drug (unlicensed outside Russia) called mildronate to 'regulate her heart', prescribed by 'the family doctor' for 10 years. This drug is also called meldonium, and was banned by WADA in January this year. Apparently she didn't know they were the same.

At face value, unlucky; however, you'd think she'd know to be careful or at least be better advised.

Whether a bit cheaty or a bit unlucky - it's crazy that one of the biggest names in the sport wouldn't have been advised that what she was taking was banned.

[jared_7]

It also goes to show you how widespread performance enhancing drugs are in sport so I don't really feel sorry for anyone. She has been using a drug that has now been found to enhance her performance for 10 years, pretty much her entire career.

Just because she's ahead of the curve its OK, you fall behind the curve and you're a cheat. I have serious doubts her and her doctors didn't know it helped her before it got on the banned list. Seems to me you just have a bunch of athletes knowingly taking drugs just hoping to keep ahead of the ball.

[Stones of granite]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but hasn't she lived in Florida, USA since she was 7 yrs old? Meldonium has never been licensed by the FDA in the US, so you have to conclude that she either travels to Russia whenever she consults a "family doctor", or that something here stinks.

[Banquo]

It also goes to show you how widespread performance enhancing drugs are in sport so I don't really feel sorry for anyone. She has been using a drug that has now been found to enhance her performance for 10 years, pretty much her entire career.

Just because she's ahead of the curve its OK, you fall behind the curve and you're a cheat. I have serious doubts her and her doctors didn't know it helped her before it got on the banned list. Seems to me you just have a bunch of athletes knowingly taking drugs just hoping to keep ahead of the ball.

What does the drug do to enhance performance out of interest?

[jared_7]

What does the drug do to enhance performance out of interest?

• Meldonium is used to treat ischaemia: a lack of blood flow to parts of the body

• It is manufactured in Latvia and not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States

• It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes

• Wada found “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance”

• The decision to add meldonium to the banned list was approved on 16 September, 2015, and it came into effect on 1 January, 2016

• It is classed as an S4 substance under the Wada code, which addresses hormone and metabolic modulators

• A memo was sent out to athletes by Russia’s anti-doping agency last September informing them of the decision to ban its use

• Sharapova says she has been taking the drug for 10 years after she was regularly falling ill. She had a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes

• Fellow Russian athlete and Olympic gold medallist figure skater Ekaterina Bobrova admitted to testing positive to the drug on Monday

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/m ... drugs-test

[Banquo]

....bit unlucky, bit cheaty, or a bit daft?

She's been taking a drug (unlicensed outside Russia) called mildronate to 'regulate her heart', prescribed by 'the family doctor' for 10 years. This drug is also called meldonium, and was banned by WADA in January this year. Apparently she didn't know they were the same.

At face value, unlucky; however, you'd think she'd know to be careful or at least be better advised.

Whether a bit cheaty or a bit unlucky - it's crazy that one of the biggest names in the sport wouldn't have been advised that what she was taking was banned.

..at face value, and I'm not sure we should take it at this, it looks like they/she didnt know that mildronate was the same as meldonium.
It does seem incredible.

[Stones of granite]

....bit unlucky, bit cheaty, or a bit daft?

She's been taking a drug (unlicensed outside Russia) called mildronate to 'regulate her heart', prescribed by 'the family doctor' for 10 years. This drug is also called meldonium, and was banned by WADA in January this year. Apparently she didn't know they were the same.

At face value, unlucky; however, you'd think she'd know to be careful or at least be better advised.

Whether a bit cheaty or a bit unlucky - it's crazy that one of the biggest names in the sport wouldn't have been advised that what she was taking was banned.

..at face value, and I'm not sure we should take it at this, it looks like they/she didnt know that mildronate was the same as meldonium.
It does seem incredible.

It would seem to me that why she did not know that mildronate is the same as meldonium is the least of the questions. Bigger questions are:
Who was prescribing it?
Why were they prescribing a drug designed to combat acute angina as a preventative medicine for magnesium deficiency?

[Banquo]

Whether a bit cheaty or a bit unlucky - it's crazy that one of the biggest names in the sport wouldn't have been advised that what she was taking was banned.

..at face value, and I'm not sure we should take it at this, it looks like they/she didnt know that mildronate was the same as meldonium.
It does seem incredible.

It would seem to me that why she did not know that mildronate is the same as meldonium is the least of the questions. Bigger questions are:
Who was prescribing it?
Why were they prescribing a drug designed to combat acute angina as a preventative medicine for magnesium deficiency?

dunno . I was just answering Renniks point, ie where they stuffed up if it was deliberate cheating.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

An important question is whether she declared it on her medication declaration that all athletes must complete. If she has been doing so for 10 years and did so at the Aussie open when it was banned then I'll possibly believe she has required treatment from it and that increasing endurance was a happy side effect. Otherwise she's been pushing the envelope for years and is stupid not to have stopped once they finally banned it. I would have no sympathy at all in that case.

[Stones of granite]

An important question is whether she declared it on her medication declaration that all athletes must complete. If she has been doing so for 10 years and did so at the Aussie open when it was banned then I'll possibly believe she has required treatment from it and that increasing endurance was a happy side effect. Otherwise she's been pushing the envelope for years and is stupid not to have stopped once they finally banned it. I would have no sympathy at all in that case.

Is there a requirement to do that if the medication is not on the WADA list?

[caldeyrfc]

Tennis will be a lot quieter now

[Eugene Wrayburn]

An important question is whether she declared it on her medication declaration that all athletes must complete. If she has been doing so for 10 years and did so at the Aussie open when it was banned then I'll possibly believe she has required treatment from it and that increasing endurance was a happy side effect. Otherwise she's been pushing the envelope for years and is stupid not to have stopped once they finally banned it. I would have no sympathy at all in that case.

Is there a requirement to do that if the medication is not on the WADA list?

Yes, so far as I can recall. You are required to list all the medication that you are on, precisely to avoid the "Oh but I was taking this but never realised" mitigation.

[BigAl]

Brian Moore was saying on Twitter this morning that all pro athletes have to declare all medication they take.

If she didn't do that, well....

[Stones of granite]

I have a strong feeling he's wrong about that. As far as I can recall from my UKCC Coach training, the athlete has the responsibility to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for any medication taken that is on the WADA list.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I have a strong feeling he's wrong about that. As far as I can recall from my UKCC Coach training, the athlete has the responsibility to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for any medication taken that is on the WADA list.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

Not talking about exemptions. It's probably only for the purposes of in-competition testing but when I had to do it 20 odd years ago it was all medication.

[Stones of granite]

I have a strong feeling he's wrong about that. As far as I can recall from my UKCC Coach training, the athlete has the responsibility to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for any medication taken that is on the WADA list.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

Not talking about exemptions. It's probably only for the purposes of in-competition testing but when I had to do it 20 odd years ago it was all medication.

Plus supplements or just medication?

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I have a strong feeling he's wrong about that. As far as I can recall from my UKCC Coach training, the athlete has the responsibility to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for any medication taken that is on the WADA list.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

Not talking about exemptions. It's probably only for the purposes of in-competition testing but when I had to do it 20 odd years ago it was all medication.

Plus supplements or just medication?

Just medication. iirc.

[Stones of granite]

Not talking about exemptions. It's probably only for the purposes of in-competition testing but when I had to do it 20 odd years ago it was all medication.

Plus supplements or just medication?

Just medication. iirc.

Perhaps the protocols have changed, or there were additional protocols for that particular sport, but as far as I know WADA do not require athletes to register medications that are not on the prohibited list.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I guess it's possible that I've misremembered my experience in athletics AND Brian Moore has made it up. It doesn't seem likely though.

[Stones of granite]

I guess it's possible that I've misremembered my experience in athletics AND Brian Moore has made it up. It doesn't seem likely though.

Brian Moore in talking bollocks shocker....

I don't think you're misremembering, I have a hazy memory of the protocols changing when WADA was set up and harmonised the anti-doping approach globally and across different sports. I'm sure that was a lot less than 20 years ago.

[cymroo]

so while playing poorly for the past 10 years she's also been on performance enhancing drugs?

imagine how crap she'd have been without it!

[belgarion]

so while playing poorly for the past 10 years she's also been on performance enhancing drugs?

imagine how crap she'd have been without it!

She couldn'y have been that crap shw won 4 Grand Slam titles US 2006, Aus 2008 & French 2012 & 2014

[kk67]

The ITV 4 team covering the French Open are, in my opinion, the best set of pundits on terrestrial tv.
It's been the same team for about 5/6 yrs now.....despite Inverdale, they are proper quality.

Fascinating stat from Jim Courier........Andy Murray is only the 10th player to have made the final of every grand slam event.
Obv'.....Jim also managed it.

[Which Tyler]

The ITV 4 team covering the French Open are, in my opinion, the best set of pundits on terrestrial tv.
It's been the same team for about 5/6 yrs now.....despite Inverdale, they are proper quality.

Fascinating stat from Jim Courier........Andy Murray is only the 10th player to have made the final of every grand slam event.
Obv'.....Jim also managed it.

I imagine it's been pretty common knowledge recently; with Rog becoming the 7th, then Rafa, then Novak...