Biogenesis / Troicki / Cilic / Doping in Tennis

El Dude

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Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Ouch. Not really what you want to happen when you're 27 years old and theoretically still in your prime.
 

Johnsteinbeck

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

wow. and he even gave em the piss.
 

Kieran

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

What kind of illness did he claim to have that meant he should skip a blood test?
 

ftan

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Oh wow .. that sucks..wondering if Anti doping is just looking for scapegoats to enhance their reputation
 

Front242

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Ridiculous really when a certain other top player reportedly missed a test in 2009. But then they never do anything to the top players.
 

Moxie

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

I thought the rule was 2 missed tests, isn't it? And there is no mention of another. Seems harsh.
 

Mastoor

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Why did they want to test him in Monte Carlo after his losing streak of 3 consecutive matches?

You would expect them to test those players who are winning most if not all of their matches, not those who are losing matches one after another what was Troicki's situation in MC.
 

Johnsteinbeck

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

the idea is to do "random testing", right?
 

Mastoor

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

This seems more than random to me. What was Troicki supposed to "enhance" at the time of his losing streak? His losing ability?
 

Mastoor

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

This seems more than random to me. What was Troicki supposed to "enhance" at the time of his losing streak? His losing ability?
 

MargaretMcAleer

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

This is the link to Viktor Troick's repsonse to the ban

http://tennisconnected.com/home/2013/07/25/viktor-troicki-responds-to-suspension-announcement/
 

Kieran

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Moxie629 said:
I thought the rule was 2 missed tests, isn't it? And there is no mention of another. Seems harsh.

From memory, the rule is three missed tests, but I don't think this qualifies. To miss a test, you need to be absent when they call - even though you've given them the address. He refused to do the test and so a conclusion was drawn from this. Perhaps it should have been explained to him there and then, "a urine sample isn't the only thing we need and if you refuse the blood test, you'll be presumed guilty."

Perhaps this wasn't known by him. According to his own report, the doctor in charge of taking the sample gave him a pass, on condition Triocki explain himself to the ITF. He might have been wiser to get the same doctor to give him a note corroborating his story...


Mastoor said:
This seems more than random to me. What was Troicki supposed to "enhance" at the time of his losing streak? His losing ability?

Well, there's an obvious answer to that, isn't there? If he's losing so much, the inference would be he took something to help break the streak. I'm not inferring that, by the way, because he took a test the next day and passed, but a random test is not based upon results...
 

britbox

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Kieran said:
Moxie629 said:
I thought the rule was 2 missed tests, isn't it? And there is no mention of another. Seems harsh.

From memory, the rule is three missed tests, but I don't think this qualifies. To miss a test, you need to be absent when they call - even though you've given them the address. He refused to do the test and so a conclusion was drawn from this. Perhaps it should have been explained to him there and then, "a urine sample isn't the only thing we need and if you refuse the blood test, you'll be presumed guilty."

Perhaps this wasn't known by him. According to his own report, the doctor in charge of taking the sample gave him a pass, on condition Triocki explain himself to the ITF. He might have been wiser to get the same doctor to give him a note corroborating his story...


Mastoor said:
This seems more than random to me. What was Troicki supposed to "enhance" at the time of his losing streak? His losing ability?

Well, there's an obvious answer to that, isn't there? If he's losing so much, the inference would be he took something to help break the streak. I'm not inferring that, by the way, because he took a test the next day and passed, but a random test is not based upon results...



Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's correct. Three missed tests through being "unavailable" and not around to take one within an 18 month period. But flat out refusal is a failed test not a missed one.
 

britbox

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Kieran said:
What kind of illness did he claim to have that meant he should skip a blood test?

Depression. The builders had gone over budget and over time completing the panic room extension to his home.
 

Kieran

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

britbox said:
Kieran said:
What kind of illness did he claim to have that meant he should skip a blood test?

Depression. The builders had gone over budget and over time completing the panic room extension to his home.

:snigger
 

Front242

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

He was unfairly treated for sure. That's basically the single offense he made by refusing one test in 18 months. They have to make an example if the required number of tests were missed/refused but in this case it's just one refused. In that respect I think it's unjust. You can look at it numerous ways:

(a) He was naive/stupid to accept the doctor's notion that he could say he felt unwell and write the ITF a letter. Should've at least got something in writing from the doctor which it appears he didn't.
(b) He genuinely did have something to hide and knew the urine sample wouldn't show anything. The fact that he passed the blood test the following day means absolutely zilch as you can clean your blood in mere hours. Not in any way saying he was doping but merely that passing next day means nothing.
(c) He's on tour quite some time now and surely has the brains to know that you have to comply by their rules and it looks bad for you if you refuse a blood test. Many people don't like needles but he has to realize a refusal to give blood could and now did seriously jeopardize his career.

He seems like a nice guy (but not the brightest) so it's harsh but it's already a reduced sentence. It's meant to be 2 years and is only 18 months and maybe he'll appeal it (doubtful) but most likely they may shorten it further.
 

Kieran

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

I agree with all of that, Front. He didn't miss the test, he refused it. Totally different thing, and he should have gotten a sicknote from the doctor who was taking the test. It beggars belief that he has a condition that can hospitalise him if he does a blood test, and this wasn't known by the ITF.

Again, nobody can say he was on drugs that day, but it's a panic-room scenario: they came calling and he didn't provide...
 

Front242

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

Kieran said:
I agree with all of that, Front. He didn't miss the test, he refused it. Totally different thing, and he should have gotten a sicknote from the doctor who was taking the test. It beggars belief that he has a condition that can hospitalise him if he does a blood test, and this wasn't known by the ITF.

Again, nobody can say he was on drugs that day, but it's a panic-room scenario: they came calling and he didn't provide...

To be honest the more I think about it he probably had to be doping. He's given blood before and surely knows the consequences of failing to do so when required. Presumably he needed the extra day to flush the dirty blood out and hoped they'd buy his rather lame excuse. The thing that kinda strikes me as unfair though is this was his only refused/missed test in the required period and you're allowed more than one missed/refused so they overstepped the line in punishing him as much as he did by not complying.
 

isabelle

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RE: Viktor Troicki banned for 18 months

What a shock, I didn't expect that
Troicki seems to be a clean good athlete IMO
Really strange
 
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