Earlier today, the ongoing controversy surrounding doping, specifically the drug meldonium, got even more complicated as the WADA announced that it might actually excuse some athletes who have already tested positive for the drug. This news comes after the WADA stated that meldonium would go into effect as a banned substance on January 1, 2016.
According to a Russian news outlet, Yulia Efimova‘s agent Andrei Mitkov has made a statement on this recent announcement from the WADA regarding a possible excusal for the athletes who have tested positive for meldonium recently.
According to Mitkov, Efimova sent a letter to FINA today asking for her current temporary suspension to be removed so that she may compete at Russia’s Olympic Trials in Moscow, which begin on the 16th of this month.
“[The] WADA statement … gives a chance to justify the vast majority of Russian athletes who have received notification of the positive test on meldonium… including Yulia Efimova. All the work, all the decisions [are] ahead,” said Mitkov.
According to Mitkov, Efimova has tested positive for meldonium on four different accounts, two of them before March 1st and two after. From our earlier article about the announcement: “WADA states that in the particular circumstances where the [meldonium] concentration found is below 1mcg and the test was taken prior to March 1, 2016, the case may be deemed ‘compatible with intake prior to January 2016’, and would render no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete.”
It seems as though the two tests taken before March 1st, had they registered less than 1mcg of meldonium, might not be conclusive enough to find Efimova guilty of using a banned substance. However, her agent clearly states that two positive test results occurred AFTER March 1st.
Also from our earlier article: “WADA also confirmed that athletes with a concentration of between one and 15 mcg before March 1, or those below one mcg after March 1, could have their cases stayed.” Again, athletes with a concentration below one mcg could still have their cases stayed. Basically, since Efimova tested positive for meldonium not once but TWICE after March 1st, it would seem that regardless of the concentration of the drug in those tests, she shouldn’t have her case excused.
Efimova’s bronze in the 2Breast in London denied Rikke Pedersen an Olympic medal. She also denied Meilutye and Pedersen World Championships.
Doping is not a victimless crime. Lifetime ban.
Lifetime bans for Jessica Hardy, Cesar Cielo, Sun Yang, Yuliya Efimova, Park Tae Hwan, the Chinese “warned” swimmers, Ous Mellouli, Ning Zetao. Funny and sad how all these cheaters claim it was an accident.
Totally agree with Bobo. Zero tolerance should be enforced in our sport – severe consequences are the best deterrence! But statements like DAZ’s really make us look bad and ignorant. Cheaters will cheat and haters will hate, regardless of sports or countries of origin. Let’s NOT let one rotten egg (OK in countries like Russia and China, perhaps several rotten eggs) ruin the reputation of the clean and hard working athletes, which, I still believe are overwhelming majority.
Daz, I hope that US “major leagues” like NBA, MLB, NFL or NHL are doing the right work about doping controls. But I have serious doubts. However I think the olympic sports are under much scrutiny by the very efficient US anti-doping agency which makes a great job.
Please, I’m not communist at all but I hope you don’t believe that doping exists only in communist countries. 😆
As mentioned above there’s doping in all nations. I agree that the history of “State doping piloted by the government” has existed only in communist countries. But individual cases are present everywhere.
Every time an American speaks like that, points at other cultures or like Trump and his friends,… Read more »
Brash bearing by Efimova. She should just shut up.
I think she is taunting the Americans who so desperately want to see her banned. She probably went ahead and INCREASED her dose after news of the positive test as part of her strategy. It’s a great way of trying to convince WADA that meldonium takes a long time to leave your system. It will be mid July and she will still be testing positive and claiming it was prior year dosing. “See it’s true that it can be at least a half year to exit”….Yulia and her people are way ahead of u guys
She seems to have conveniently forgotten about the negative tests in January though… I don’t think this is a situation she can explain herself out of. Surely there comes a point where you have to have a bit of dignity and accept the ban you clearly deserve.
Saturday Night Live did a preview of that
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/update-all-drug-olympics/n9691
I am hereby proposing we establish PED Olympics. We have Olympics and Para Olympics, we should also have PED Olympics. There will be no drug testing in those games and all athletes can feel free to be drugged out of their minds. Efimova would fit well there as would most of Eastern European athletes,
I got some good ideas.
NO LEEWAY TO DRUG CHEATS!
Sick of the still endemic pharmaceutical abuse systematically carried out by mainly former Communist and current Communist countries. Russian athletes and Chinese are particularly suspect in my view. FINA grow a pair and ban them from Olympic games. That will hurt them as that is the sole aim of all the doping to start with!
Hi Daz! Good stance, totally agree in this case. I just did not know that majority of MLB players are communists! Bastards!!!
See the last Dr Victor Conte interview on NBC.
Marion Jones and her esteemed multiple Olympics champions are not communists, Thank You Very Much!!
#communistslivesmatter