Tennis

[Zebadeedee]

Errani could have been picked up and banned years ago were the ITF serious about anti-doping. This is a two month slap on the wrist for something apparently indicative of other substances being used.

 

[arcus]

Re:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/40854182

Errani's mother had been using the drug as part of her treatment for breast cancer and had left pills on a kitchen worktop where food was prepared.

A tribunal panel accepted the player probably ingested the substance through accidental food contamination.

But it was ruled Errani, now ranked 98, could have done more to protect herself.

Letrozole increases lean body mass and was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over concerns it was being abused by bodybuilders.

An independent tribunal, appointed by the International Tennis Federation, said there was no evidence it would enhance the performance of an elite tennis player

Jesus wept...........

There's no evidence that that Letrozole would enhance the performance of an elite tennis player, because it's never been studied in that context, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER SUBSTANCES ON THE PROHIBITED LIST.

Lack of evidence is not proof of lack of efficacy.

 

[sniper]

Indeed the insults to the brain are particularly strong here, both from Errani and ITF.

Well said Arcus 're lack of research.

 

[arcus]

"My mothers chemo fell into my tortellini"........ I thought nothing would top "I absorbed my twin in the womb", but this one comes close.

Reading the ITF document made me face-palm. Please tell me WADA will challenge this. Of note, this is (to my knowledge) the first tennis doping adjudication by "Sports Resolutions", a UK based company that have been contracted by the ITF to independently conduct it's anti-doping tribunals. I'm not so sure this is an auspicious beginning.

Compare this to the Sharapova case. IMPO, on balance of probability, Sharapova kept taking meldonium (for physical optimization rather than legitimate medical indications), without realizing that it had newly been included on the prohibited list. She got 15 months on appeal. In contrast, Errani, who we know consulted with doping doctor Del Moral, gets 2 months for testing positive for a substance that elevates androgenic steroids in a female... Something is not right here.

LOL @ another tennis player playing the "It was all my mother's fault" card.

 

[sniper]

Yeah. Its a case of laugh or cry.

Good point comparing it to sharapowa.
Certainly can be interpreted as another anti-russia decision.

 

[poupou]

Pasta are very expensive not to throw them away by a such so poor family, pro tennis player gets very low payement.

 

[DanielSong39]

The sad part about all this is that Errani was a really good player at one point; I think she was in the top 10 for a while and is surely a millionaire several times over.

She's 30 years old and several years past her prime. No sense in continuing if you ask me.

Then again, there's always the slight hope of finding the right sauce and achieving a miraculous career renaissance. It's not like we haven't seen it before.

 

[Brullnux]

Silent band exist, look at Agassi and his crystal meth

Also, I thought you didn't get banned for weed? At least that is what Kyrgios said

 

[yaco]

Re:

"My mothers chemo fell into my tortellini"........ I thought nothing would top "I absorbed my twin in the womb", but this one comes close.

Reading the ITF document made me face-palm. Please tell me WADA will challenge this. Of note, this is (to my knowledge) the first tennis doping adjudication by "Sports Resolutions", a UK based company that have been contracted by the ITF to independently conduct it's anti-doping tribunals. I'm not so sure this is an auspicious beginning.

Compare this to the Sharapova case. IMPO, on balance of probability, Sharapova kept taking meldonium (for physical optimization rather than legitimate medical indications), without realizing that it had newly been included on the prohibited list. She got 15 months on appeal. In contrast, Errani, who we know consulted with doping doctor Del Moral, gets 2 months for testing positive for a substance that elevates androgenic steroids in a female... Something is not right here.

LOL @ another tennis player playing the "It was all my mother's fault" card.

You can't have it both ways - There has been a strong push for sporting organisations to use independent tribunals or National Tribunals to hear Anti-Doping matters - There is no point crying if you don't like the decision, and my guess is you haven't read transcripts of the case - WADA can appeal and sent it to CAS - Though I have more faith in Independent Tribunals than CAS which is a cesspool of cronyism, favoritism and poor adjudication of cases.

 

[yaco]

Re:

Silent band exist, look at Agassi and his crystal meth

Also, I thought you didn't get banned for weed? At least that is what Kyrgios said

Illicit drugs are only positive on game day.

 

[arcus]

Re: Re:

"My mothers chemo fell into my tortellini"........ I thought nothing would top "I absorbed my twin in the womb", but this one comes close.

Reading the ITF document made me face-palm. Please tell me WADA will challenge this. Of note, this is (to my knowledge) the first tennis doping adjudication by "Sports Resolutions", a UK based company that have been contracted by the ITF to independently conduct it's anti-doping tribunals. I'm not so sure this is an auspicious beginning.

Compare this to the Sharapova case. IMPO, on balance of probability, Sharapova kept taking meldonium (for physical optimization rather than legitimate medical indications), without realizing that it had newly been included on the prohibited list. She got 15 months on appeal. In contrast, Errani, who we know consulted with doping doctor Del Moral, gets 2 months for testing positive for a substance that elevates androgenic steroids in a female... Something is not right here.

LOL @ another tennis player playing the "It was all my mother's fault" card.

You can't have it both ways - There has been a strong push for sporting organisations to use independent tribunals or National Tribunals to hear Anti-Doping matters - There is no point crying if you don't like the decision, and my guess is you haven't read transcripts of the case - WADA can appeal and sent it to CAS - Though I have more faith in Independent Tribunals than CAS which is a cesspool of cronyism, favoritism and poor adjudication of cases.

I did read every word of the transcript before posting. I will say I felt like giving up when I got to the part where Errani's team provide "evidence that the aromatase-inhibitor pill dissolves in tortellini meat mixtures at room temperature" . This 'evidence' was, in fairness, rejected by the tribunal.

I also understand the desirability of independent arbitration.. That said, I 'm entitled to disagree with their decisions, if I question their basis.

Are you buying the tortellini defense? From the transcript.....

The Athlete must positively prove how the Prohibited Substance entered their body and not merely speculate as to which of a number of possible means exist and then further speculate as to which appears
the most likely of those possibilities. To meet this burden, the Player must prove how the letrozole got into her system on the balance of probabilities. English law (which governs the TADP and these proceedings) is clear what this means: 'The balance of probability standard means that a court is satisfied an event occurred if the court considers that, on the evidence, the occurrence of an event was more likely than not'.

I'm not. It strikes as the sort of excuse that accused athletes resort to. Let's not forget that Errani had a publicly acknowledged prior-association with an individual notorious for doping athletes.

Again (frustrating for me), the independent tribunal conferred an unusually short period of sanction for an AAF, and in the process stated

However there is no evidence that letrozole would enhance the performance of an elite level tennis player.

. This class of medication affects the raio of androgenic/estrogenic steroids in females. Accepting that 'no proof of performance enhancement in specific-sports' means less culpability, and I contend that you can chuck the WADA prohibited list on a bomb-fire, and tell athletes they can take what they want. I appreciate that it might be contentious if non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors cause clinically significant increases in testosterone in premanopausal females.

 

[Zebadeedee]

Why did the panel not consider the matter of her mother being a pharmacist? This is relevant. They accepted the ITF expert's opinion (over Errani's expert) that the amount discovered could have arisen from doping. Such an obvious line of enquiry then arises considering her mother's profession as pharmacist.

They followed the pills into pasta baloney hook, line and sinker, convinced themselves that Errani's mother would never tell a lie.

Seems the Cilic Gambit (blame your mum for everything) with a Lance-style cancer shield as background, provides a pretty potent defence and avoids the awkward questions.

 

[buckle]

This woman's big year was 2012. Following exposure of her links with Del Moral, she then severed ties. One imagines she engages in marginal gains doping just to stay on the tour these days.

 

[yaco]

The irony is the ITF argued for a four year ban for Sharapova but did the opposite with Errani - Anyway CAS has a poor track record in arbitrating doping cases - The whole arbitration system is broken.

 

[Zebadeedee]

Probably all decided beforehand, with the dog and pony show just for decency's sake.

 

[Red Rick]

David 'chainsmoker' Ferrer's comeback is quite unexpected. Wonder what's up with that

 

[the delgados]

Re:

David 'chainsmoker' Ferrer's comeback is quite unexpected. Wonder what's up with that

I've heard that smoking increases red blood cell counts, so maybe David "the chimney" is on to something.

p.s. This is the first I've heard about Ferrer's smoking habits. It's amazing to think the guy who smokes can cover the court with water bug-like speed.
It would be so cool to see him smoke a dart during court changes.

 

[Blakeslee]

It has been disgusting watching the love fest for Maria Sharapova in the U.S. television coverage of the U.S. Open. Poor Maria was just an unwitting victim of an unintentional oversight when she forgot to check that meldonium had been added to the banned list. Nevermind the fact that she had been taking the drug for 10 years under what are at best sketchy medical grounds.

 

[iejeecee]

Now that Serena is out of the game does Venus get free reign of the family PED's cabinet?

She has made a remarkable resurgence in her sisters absence, at the youthful age of 37 with her debilitating illnesses...

 

[DanielSong39]

The King of dopers is about to make the semifinals, where he will likely meet the one guy who is just as juiced as he is.

Tough to take tennis' stance on drugs seriously as long as the Big 4 and the Williams sisters face no consequences.

 

[Zebadeedee]

The litany need amending with the addition of the washbag excuse.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/oct/03/dan-evans-banned-for-year-positive-cocaine-test

More plausible than most and with charlie not even banned out of competition, Evans puts up a well-constructed defence, all in all.

 

[DanielSong39]

Federer and Nadal in the final again.

Are we in a time warp?

Maybe Djokovic will win 3 slams next season; nothing would surprise me at this point.

 

[fmk_RoI]

This may be a lesson to Spartacus and what's his name:

Rafael Nadal wins damages against French ex-minister over doping claim

A Paris court ordered Roselyne Bachelot to pay 12,000 euros in damages and legal costs to the world number one for comments she made on television last year. Nadal had sought 100,000 euros in an attempt to set an example. Bachelot was also given a suspended fine of 500 euros.

In March 2016, Bachelot – then a TV pundit having been health and sports minister from 2007-2010 – accused Nadal on the D8 channel of having feigned injury during a seven-month absence from the circuit in 2012 to cover up a positive drugs test.

The ten-times winner of Roland Garros sued the ex-minister, calling on the International Tennis Federation to publish his test results. The federation replied that the player could reveal them himself, confirming that he had never been tested positive.

 

[DanielSong39]

Breaking News:
Roselyn Bachelot ordered to pay 12,500 Euros for telling the truth

What a world we live in.

 

[yaco]

I suggest Daniel Song read the previous post.