Halep banned

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/63347377

Adverse result in doping test. Provisional banned.

You have to wonder if they are all at it really. Hard to believe Simona is the only one of the top players trying to get an edge

This was shock news. Was it intentional? She's pleaded innocence but have you ever known an athlete in any form of sport who has ever owned up to something like this?

It's all a great pity as she is one of my favourite players.

Shame really, always had a soft spot got your Romanian.
She’s been up and down with injuries post her Wimbledon title. Would be a sad way for her career to end.

So a bit of googling suggests this is a red blood cell booster similar in effect to EPO (although who knows about the relative efficiencies). Unlike for example some steroids, it seems to me improbable that a trace amount would be derived from contamination of either food or supplements.

I haven't found anything regarding residence time of this particular drug. Would be interesting to know when she was last tested prior to the positive result

I think they're all at it myself. Halep just unfortunate. EPO would be the obvious drug of choice for tennis players as it promotes increased stamina and supernatural ability to recover quickly.

The player plus those associated with her say she's innocent. But then how come she tested positive if, as has been said above, it's very difficult to take this drug accidentally?

Will they accept her word for it? I recall Gascoigne getting off a while back after claiming the drugs were caused by him kissing someone.

Don't know enough to comment on the assertion that, as far as tennis is concerned, they're "all at it". But it does seem that drug-taking is rife among athletes and cyclists.

sirfredperry wrote:The player plus those associated with her say she's innocent. But then how come she tested positive if, as has been said above, it's very difficult to take this drug accidentally?

Will they accept her word for it? I recall Gascoigne getting off a while back after claiming the drugs were caused by him kissing someone.

Don't know enough to comment on the assertion that, as far as tennis is concerned, they're "all at it". But it does seem that drug-taking is rife among athletes and cyclists.

Athletes and Cyclists are caught more often because their sports' testing processes are far more rigorous than in tennis. It's wrong to say that it is "rife" in these sports but somehow tennis players are more clean. The tennis testing system is known to be a joke in comparison with the systems in athletics and cycling, whose athletes are tested more often and more rigorously. Tennis only recently rolled out EPO testing for example, which has been happening for decades in cycling and athletics, yet it is blindingly obvious that EPO is the one thing that struggling tennis players are likely to reach for more than any other drug.

sirfredperry wrote:The player plus those associated with her say she's innocent. But then how come she tested positive if, as has been said above, it's very difficult to take this drug accidentally?

Will they accept her word for it? I recall Gascoigne getting off a while back after claiming the drugs were caused by him kissing someone.

Don't know enough to comment on the assertion that, as far as tennis is concerned, they're "all at it". But it does seem that drug-taking is rife among athletes and cyclists.

With the standard of testing in cycling now i'd say it's probably more rife in Tennis nowadays. Biological passports while not perfect do help to catch dopers without them actually failing a test something which isn't possible in the majority of sports. I've long held opinions about certain players that have only been confirmed in my mind over time.

SR - I know there was talk of Rafa being on drugs in his early days and he certainly appeared far more muscular then than he does now.

He was very quick to angrily deny the allegations and I should stress that I have no actual knowledge of any wrongdoing on his part.

It could be that they will compromise with Halep by giving her a not-too-long ban.

SFP - at her age, 31, Halep is getting on a bit in terms of female players. Any ban should be a minimum 12 months - there can be no leeway for ignorance or stupidity.
I don’t see her returning.

sirfredperry wrote:SR - I know there was talk of Rafa being on drugs in his early days and he certainly appeared far more muscular then than he does now.

He was very quick to angrily deny the allegations and I should stress that I have no actual knowledge of any wrongdoing on his part.

It could be that they will compromise with Halep by giving her a not-too-long ban.

This was mostly in association with Operacion Puerto, where a Spanish doping doctor was arrested with around 200 blood bags and other doping medication. While several cyclists were identified as clients, there were strong rumours that other bigger name sports people were involved, including some top players in both mens and womens tennis (and not necessarily just Spaniards) and even moreso major Spanish footballers and whole Lal Liga clubs, most credibly Real Sociadad, but also potentially Barcelona and Real Madrid. There's a very strong suspicion that some VERY big names were protected by the Spanish authorities.