With the 2012 Olympics coming up before we know it, there was bound to be a performance-enhancing drug scandal or two along the way. Hope Solo, the 30-year-old goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic soccer team and past Dancing With the Stars contestant, is the newest headline-maker. She has reportedly taken a medication that contained a diuretic found on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's no-no list.
She tested positive for Canrenone in a test on June 15. Luckily for those who were looking forward to watching Solo this summer in London, she was given a warning instead of getting suspended.
In a move that will ensure no men can get off with just a warning for taking Canrenone, she said in a statement that she took the medication for pre-menstrual purposes. Still, like the rest of you, the USADA's convoluted list of rules and prohibited medications is enough to make any of us everyday folk crazy. Imagine how the athletes feel!
There's just something that irks me about the USADA. Especially with news about how they're going after Lance Armstrong, it's interesting that Solo was only given a warning instead of a suspension since the prohibited drug was actually found in her system. I'm not even saying she deserves to be suspended -- far from it -- I only feel terribly for the athletes whose careers are ruined from these so-called medications.
"I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic," Solo said in a statement. "Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my performance in any way."
Since she's gained fame by helping get the Americans to a second-place finish in the World Cup and then making it to the semifinals on Dancing With the Stars with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, everyone's been cheering for her. I can imagine that a lot of fans are happy the USADA didn't go overboard like we're used to seeing.
The USADA now permits a reduction or elimination of sanctions for "specified" substances, which is why they could give her a "lighter sentence." This change came about partly from the scandal with Zach Lund, a U.S. athlete in a winter sledding sport. He tested positive for finasteride, an ingredient for an anti-hair-loss medication. Poor guy just didn't want to go bald, yet his career and legacy were all on the line in this complex legal mess due to the USADA's stringent policies.
Yeesh. It just goes to show that all doctors, even "personal" doctors, need to be hella careful when prescribing medications for any type of athlete where their drug tests are so scrutinized. And the athletes need to be super-vigilant about any medication they're taking. Let's just hope Solo can move past this and bring home the gold.
Here's Hope from happier, sexier times on DWTS:
What do you think of the USADA? Are you glad they gave Hope Solo a warning instead of a suspension?
Image via Ampatent/Wikimedia
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Comments 5
I feel she should have been suspended. It's too easy to say "I didn't know" but I don't buy it. If you don't know what's in something you're taking and you're an athlete training for the Olympics, you should darn well find out. What kind of doctor would prescribe something to an Olympian that had something in it that it shouldn't have? I'm sure there are many young girls who'd give anything to be on that team.
Also, what does this say to our young people? That's it's okay to do something that you shouldn't be and then just say "I didn't know" and it's all hunky dory? That's not a good message. This IS the Olympics.
It was a diuretic that was found to be a component of a prescription drug that she was taking at the direction of her doctor. This doesn't enhance her performance at all. Also JAFE, she wasn't tested by an Olympic committee. There is HUGE difference between this substance and what Lance Armstrong is accused of taking (no to mention that the accusations against him are that he KNOWINGLY took the drug). And yes, intent should be taken into consideration, after all criminal law does require intent for most people to be convicted of a crime.
Sorry but a line has to be drawn somewhere and when we start offering TUE (Theraputic Use Exceptions) for this and that and this and the other reason and that reason too then you just open the doors for abuse. PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) are PEDs, period. How they got into your system is irrelevant. You have them in your system, you should not be able to compete in your event and really you should be banned from competing for large periods of time.
Doping has become ridiculously out of control in every sport because everyone can just say "I didn't know" "I use it for my period" "I use it for low testosterone" when in fact they don't actually need it and are abusing it...no matter how little or how much.