Simona Halep - 4 Year Ban

[stotty]

Simona gets banned for 4 years, effectively putting an end to her tennis career, although she vows to keep playing. The case against her was overwhelming and so the punishment was severe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/66805953

[jimlosaltos]

This isn't over. Simona is appealing to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, the rough equivalent of the Supreme Court in sports.

CAS has a history of reducing -- and politely ridiculing -- ITF decisions. Although, at her age, even if CAS reduces the suspension it could be the end of her career.

I don't know enough about the details of Halep's case to have an opinion, but there are sports scientists that have questioned the tests, saying the drug amounts found are so small as to be meaningless.

Nor is WADA seen as an objective, technical resource. Since Sochi, WADA has lost credibility.

Sad either way, I'm afraid.

[arturohernandez]

This isn't over. Simona is appealing to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, the rough equivalent of the Supreme Court in sports.

CAS has a history of reducing -- and politely ridiculing -- ITF decisions. Although, at her age, even if CAS reduces the suspension it could be the end of her career.

I don't know enough about the details of Halep's case to have an opinion, but there are sports scientists that have questioned the tests, saying the drug amounts found are so small as to be meaningless.

Nor is WADA seen as an objective, technical resource. Since Sochi, WADA has lost credibility.

Sad either way, I'm afraid.

The weird thing is that she says it was mixed with something. Part of it seemed to be mixed but the other part did not. That makes me think that they were trying to water the drug down somehow so that it would go undetected. Maybe Lance Armstrong was right. Everyone does it. Some people get caught and those look like the bad guys. But no one is truly innocent. Some are just unluckier than others.

[jimlosaltos]

The weird thing is that she says it was mixed with something. Part of it seemed to be mixed but the other part did not. That makes me think that they were trying to water the drug down somehow so that it would go undetected. Maybe Lance Armstrong was right. Everyone does it. Some people get caught and those look like the bad guys. But no one is truly innocent. Some are just unluckier than others.

Well, I just read the report and that's an hour out of my life I'll never get back. I grabbed a couple of screen caps on the off case anyone is interested, but wouldn't recommend it to any but a masochist. I put a link at the end. Click away masochists

Hundreds of pages -- with a lot blacked out -- and dueling chemical test experts, testing ridiculously small quantities and coming to different conclusions. I'm neither a biochemist nor a lawyer, but I doubt this case against her would hold up in a jury trial. But this is by no means a trial. As Maria Sakkari said in a presser yesterday, "We're even afraid to take electrolytes now."

It took a year to get a hearing, with Halep fighting all along to get a hearing and the "prosecution" bureaucrats pushing it off and off and off.

This all started with a medical recommendation under guise of Mourtaglou's academy to change supplements. Make of that what you will.

1 of 3 screen caps following

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https://www.itia.tennis/media/bb0i20p5/230911-itia-v-simona-halep-decision-redacted-pp.pdf

#

[stotty]

Here is say Halep's levels were inexplicably high...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/14/tennis-simona-halep-tribunal-suspected-blood-doping-wimbledon

[jimlosaltos]

Their response post Sochi and the Fancy Bear hacks around Rio Olympics show that WADA & ITF are highly political & engaged in dubious self-promotion (survival) at the expense of objectivity. Can't be trusted.

[jimlosaltos]

Here is say Halep's levels were inexplicably high...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ping-wimbledon

Again, I don't understand this well enough to have a position. My bias, though, is to trust Simona far more than I trust the ITF, WADA and their cohort, given what's been disclosed about their past behavior.

As for the BBC article, it cites this from the panel:

> In response the panel stated: “A key allegation by the ITIA on aggravating circumstances is that the player must have been using one prohibited substance or prohibited method from March 2022 at the latest. However, although there are strong grounds for suspicion we are not comfortably satisfied that this is so.

As for the back and forth on the drug tests, here's a more plain English counterpoint. I lost the original from L'Equipe but found it quoted elsewhere so here ...

The part where the ITF tested a sample, said it found no meaningful discrepancy, then after realizing she had exposure to the drug changed their interpretation, sounds slimy

There's also an odd section in the panel report on "inconsistency in her biological passport" which, I think dealt with hemoglobin levels. Not sure. But again experts said it is normal for elite athletes to have large fluctuations when they change their routines significantly, as Halep did after injury. The ITF retorted with a so-called "study", which again the experts said was based on testing two (2) people, both male, neither "elite athletes". But, other than that, it was great. Not.

> Professor Jean-Claude Alvarez – director of the toxicology laboratory at the CHU de Garches and judicial expert for the French Supreme Court – was contacted by the Romanian for an analysis of her hair, and has proclaimed her innocence in L’Equipe.

> He explained: “She (Simona Halep) came to the lab, I took a hair sample from her. She had a very low level, less than 0.5 picograms per milligram in her hair. So I went to sample the only patient who has a treatment (of roxadustat, three times a week for renal failure) with this molecule in France and I tested one of her hairs: she has concentrations of 50 picograms per milligram.”

> “The roxadustat level is 0.2 nanograms per milliliter (in urine) for Simona Halep,” he added “It doesn’t mean anything anymore. You may have them if you take food supplements. It’s all nonsense.”

During the interview, Prof Alvarez asserted that the source of the roxadustat found in Simona Halep’s analyses was her collagen supplement – “manufactured in China where roxadustat is hyper-common” – taken as a powder mixed with water. This treatment can be used to treat pain in tendons, ligaments and joints.

While refuting roxadustat doping, Prof Alvarez also dismissed accusations of irregularities in the player’s biological passport.

“Six months on, they’re saying that her September sample is ‘lightly doping’ (slightly positive), when that wasn’t the case six months before. It was when they knew she had taken roxadustat in her analyses that the experts changed their interpretation. I just can’t understand it.”

Tennis Majors:

https://www.tennismajors.com/wta-tour-news/were-condemning-an-innocent-woman-professor-alvarez-who-analysed-simona-haleps-hair-713714.html

[stotty]

You'd think with science these things would be easy. Either there is too much roxadustat or there isn't....mind boggling.

Personally I am hoping she is innocent as I always like her.

[jimlosaltos]

You'd think with science these things would be easy. Either there is too much roxadustat or there isn't....mind boggling.

Personally I am hoping she is innocent as I always like her.

Yes, me, too.

As for science solving this, You'd think. And it's a fair request . But science is actually making it much harder. Not just with PEDs ... but what to do about carcinogens, pollution.

We're trained to think about these substances ( medications, drugs, carcinogens ...) in binary fashion. Carcinogen bad. No take carcinogen. Now, science can measure quantities that are so Infinitesimal, in many cases they have no effect at all.

Broccoli has carcinogens. Bananas are radioactive (potassium!). Binary thinking says ban them. Common sense says no, wait a minute.

Unfortunately, common sense doesn't seem to be allowed in the rule of law, or rules of sport. Everything is black and white.

Test result: "0.2 nanograms per milliliter" ?

ˈnan-ə-ˌgram. : one billionth of a gram.
Average human cell(1 nanogram)
Very fine grain of sand (0.063 mm diameter, 350 nanograms)

[stotty]

Cahill (Simona's former coach for six years) has jumped in to defend Simona, which must be reassuring for her.

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1131097262/simona-halep-failed-drug-test-roxadustat

[jimlosaltos]

Cahill (Simona's former coach for six years) has jumped in to defend Simona, which must be reassuring for her.

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/11310...est-roxadustat

Darren has been outspoken in her defense, in press and on social media. But it's as a character witness, all this is after they worked together.

Patrick Mourtaglou, who was her coach at the time, has also defended her. The tests took place after Halep switched supplementals while working with him. Nutrition advisor {I can't recall if she is associated with Mourtaglou Academy_ reportedly said, during recovery from an injury, that her normal mix included too much sugar, reviewed and approved the new set. If Halep wasn't cheating (and I'm inclined to believe her) it's a monumental price for a minor decision. If she is cheating, it was perhaps desperate after injury but seems extremely stupid.

I wonder why the support teams for the top, professional players -- who are basically small businesses bringing in tens of millions of dollars - don't proactively hire testing labs.

Constantly doing one's own testing would be a considerably expense and a headache but given the downside, a great legal insurance policy.

[stotty]

Darren has been outspoken in her defense, in press and on social media. But it's as a character witness, all this is after they worked together.

Patrick Mourtaglou, who was her coach at the time, has also defended her. The tests took place after Halep switched supplementals while working with him. Nutrition advisor {I can't recall if she is associated with Mourtaglou Academy_ reportedly said, during recovery from an injury, that her normal mix included too much sugar, reviewed and approved the new set. If Halep wasn't cheating (and I'm inclined to believe her) it's a monumental price for a minor decision. If she is cheating, it was perhaps desperate after injury but seems extremely stupid.

I wonder why the support teams for the top, professional players -- who are basically small businesses bringing in tens of millions of dollars - don't proactively hire testing labs.

Constantly doing one's own testing would be a considerably expense and a headache but given the downside, a great legal insurance policy.

I have always doubted the need for PEDs in tennis as tennis is not relentlessly attritional like cycling or running. Tennis is stop and start movement with time to recuperate between points. Yes, I can see the benefits of the rapid physical recuperation between closely scheduled matches, perhaps, but feel a human can develop fitness levels to deal with that stuff conventionally and without the need for drugs.

[stroke]

I have always doubted the need for PEDs in tennis as tennis is not relentlessly attritional like cycling or running. Tennis is stop and start movement with time to recuperate between points. Yes, I can see the benefits of the rapid physical recuperation between closely scheduled matches, perhaps, but feel a human can develop fitness levels to deal with that stuff conventionally and without the need for drugs.

It would be very interesting to know the VO2 max numbers of some of the clearly fittest ATP players such as Med, Novak, Norrie, etc vs some world class cyclists, who I believe can be at 80 or so. One thing we can all agree on I think is the higher the VO2 max number is, the better from a competitive standpoint. What role PED's can play in this, I do not know.

[stotty]

From what I understand there is a maximum human VO2 limit that no one can go beyond, which suggests there is a maximum limit to, say, how fast a human can run a marathon. Once the limit is reached no records will be then broken other than fractional things like a 5mph wind behind the runner.