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Post by osu054 on Dec 21, 2006 15:39:25 GMT -5
Wheelchair player banned after failing drug testReuters
LONDON -- Wheelchair tennis player Meliha Karic was banned for two years after testing positive for a metabolite, the International Tennis Federation announced on Thursday.
An independent anti-doping tribunal ruled that the 27-year-old Frenchwoman did not intend to enhance her performance by taking adrafinil or modafinil, which she ingested with her medication.
But she was punished for "failing to take personal responsibility to ensure that the medication was permitted under the anti-doping rules."
"The tribunal confirmed the commission of a doping offense and determined that Ms. Karic should be suspended for two years, commencing 25 July 2006 and ending 24 July 2008, " the ITF said in a statement.
"Her results should be disqualified at the British Open wheelchair tennis championships 2006 with loss of ranking points and prize money," the ITF said.
She has three weeks to appeal the decision.
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Post by Doobs on Dec 22, 2006 14:15:46 GMT -5
She should be playing Short Stop anyway!
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Post by theforty on Dec 24, 2006 8:47:21 GMT -5
I don't even know where to begin...
I didn't know there was even a wheelchair tennis leage, or federation that monitors drug use in said league. But then again, there is a lot I don't know.
Now, I suspect most people who use wheelchairs, including athletes such as Meliha, take more medicine and drugs than the average person. So it isn't out of the realm of possibility that a mistake was made. This is probably why the commission ruled they think the drug in question was ingested accidentally.
So the punishment? Disqualified for 2 years and loss of British Open (whatever that is) championship and prize money.
Ignoring the asinine (or at least what I think is asinine) practice of taking away championships after the fact, does this sort of punishment seem reasonable? There can't be some sort of warning or lesser intermediate punishment? Christ, someone has be be caught with drugs/steriods like 5 times in MLB/NFL/NHL/NBA before such a punishment is handed out.
Anyway, I've written far more than I ought to have on the subject. Sorry for taking up everyone's time.
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