Why Sharapova deserves a life-time ban instead of this two-year sabbatical

BySaketh RVK, SportsCafe Editor

06/09/2016

When Maria Sharapova revealed to the world, from a Los Angeles hotel, that she had tested positive for Meldonium on January 26th in Melbourne, it shook the sporting world.

A Bollywoodesque saga of family sacrifices, struggles, unreal comebacks and unparalleled fame had suddenly turned into an inglorious story of doping and cheating. The news was depressing to this writer, who had religiously rooted for a Russian star who finally seemed to have the fire-power to end the dominance of a certain Williams family. “All is not lost. ‘MaSha’ had made an honest mistake regarding the usage of the drug. She regrets it, it will be fine,” was what I told myself. The press conference was all about that- Sharapova had been using the drug since 2006 for health issues, and her team had overlooked the addition of it to the prohibited list, she was admitting to it and she would come back stronger.

So when the ITF banned Sharapova for two years for using Meldonium, it seemed too ‘harsh’. That a former World No.1 and five time Grand Slam champion who took the drug for genuine medical reasons should be disallowed from playing for a complete two years seemed extra hard. Was the ITF trying to set an example? Was this to be a warning to all athletes about the consequences they would face? Was this justified or was this a witch-hunt?

At a hearing by an independent tribunal about the case, a medical expert called upon by Sharapova concluded that the drug was prescribed to her as a cardio-protective agent and as a preventative agent for diabetes. Given, the steps taken by WADA to inform athletes about the new additions to the prohibited list were inadequate. But why did the Russian, who had in 2012 decided to stop following the regime prescribed by her doctor(in 2006), conveniently continue the use of Meldonium? This was, by her own admission without medical advice.

(Also, read Statistical comparison- Is Djokovic a “greater” player than Nadal already?)

Secondly, she trusted her agent Max Eisenbud to ensure she was not taking any banned substances. An agent who mostly managed her business affairs was expected to understand how WADA’s prohibited list worked. Eisenbud, apparently, would go on vacation to the Caribbean islands at the end of every season, and while there would cross-check the list of substances that all his players were using against WADA’s updated list of the year. But in 2015, he did not go on vacation because he separated from his wife. Also, Eisenbud and Sharapova’s father were the only people who knew she was taking the drug. Not her nutritionist, not her physio, not her trainer nor her coach. We begin to smell a rat.

That she ever only told one of the many medical practitioners she consulted- the doctor of the Russian Olympic team- reeks of suspicion. Further, the Olympic silver medalist did not disclose her use of Meldonium on the doping control forms that players need to fill when taking drugs tests. According to the Independent, Sharapova signed seven such forms between October 2014 and January 2016 and did not disclose her use of the drug not once. She admitted to the tribunal though that she had taken Meldonium before all her matches at the Australian Open. She also reportedly failed tests for Meldonium at Wimbledon 2015 and Fed Cup in the same year, but its use was not prohibited then.

All these actions seemingly point to a careful, informed mis-use of the ‘holes’ in WADA and ITF’s doping control measures. A clear belief that she could use a performance-enhancer and get away with it appears difficult to dismiss. The tribunal published a 33-page document with regards to the case and the hearing concluding that, “there was in 2016 no diagnosis and no therapeutic advice supporting the continuing use of Meldonium. If she had believed that there was a continuing medical need to use Meldonium then she would have consulted a medical practitioner. The manner of its use, on match days and when undertaking intensive training, is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels.

As the ITF Tribunal states, “It may be that she genuinely believed that Meldonium had some general beneficial effect on her health, but the manner in which the medication was taken, its concealment from the anti-doping authorities, her failure to disclose it even to her own team, and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took Meldonium for the purpose of enhancing her performance.”

The report accepts that her use of the drug was not intentional. However, to this writer-fan, all of the arguments in her defense seem childish and baseless. How could a five time Grand Slam champion and former World No.1 skip mentioning a drug on the doping control forms because she had used the item only ‘six times in the previous seven days’? How absurd does it sound that the agent of one of the most valuable sports persons in the world did not cross-check her medication with WADA’s list because he “did not” take his holiday in the Caribbeans this year?

To hopefuls all over the world, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) might seem like a ray of light. This author, though, hopes the CAS doesn’t feel the need to appear player-friendly any more. International sport for long has been marred by accusations of drug abuse and further let-offs. The ITF in particular has taken the heat for not doing enough to clean the sport by tennis stars like Djokovic themselves. To a fan who has idolised players and made them his role-models for as long as he remembers, a clean sport has always seemed to be a tall dream. With the example set for Sharapova the ITF has a chance to do so - send out a warning, set a precedent, a system where ambassadors even as huge as Roger Federer can be brought under the scanner. A sport which is bigger than its stars and sets the benchmark for all others to follow. Pronounce Sharapova's actions intentional and pave the way for a ‘harsher’ sentence, a well-deserved life-time ban.

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