So no one really expected it, but it happened and we have to live with it – Maria Sharapova, the huge star of female tennis has been found guilty of doping. And it’s no herbal tea that she’d been taking, mind you – it’s Meldonium, a drug for heart failure patients that was banned this January. Maria has been regularly drugging herself with Meldonium for a decade and she didn’t know when to stop. Here’s what she said to the public:
“I did fail the test. I take full responsibility for it. I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down. I let my sport down…I don’t want to end my career this way. … I know many of you thought I was retiring. But if I was ever going to announce my retirement it would not be in this downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet.”
Via: reuters.com
Good stuff, Maria, you’re quite funny, but is it really the moment to be joking around? Meldonium is no joke, that’s for certain. To quote the BBC:
“[Meldonium is] designed to treat ischemia, a condition where there is a reduction in blood supply to body tissue. It is also said to have benefits for diabetes sufferers. [Further, it serves to augment] mental focus, removing external stress so you feel sharper. There is a slight central nervous system effect, like with stimulants such as caffeine, which gives you a sharper edge.” Sounds more serious than a cup of coffee… The drug has been prohibited as there was “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance.”
