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This. Just been having this debate with co-workers, who basically swallowed the medical excuse wholesale, and the fact the drug wasn't banned until January.
But the drug is performance-enhancing, whether it was banned or not, as evidenced by the 17% of Russian athletes using it. The reasons for her using it are hocum, the usual tired excuses for drug cheats when they are caught. So while she didn't break any rules until January this year, the preceding ten years she was using this drug to boost her athletic ability and give her an unfair advantage over opponents who weren't. Not against the rules of the game but certainly against the spirit of the game. And it begs the question if she was using this drug to gain an advantage, what else was there?
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Jimmy_Fingers
gbj_tester
The facts are fairly simple, mistake or not (and as it's not a substance available in the USA I'm struggling to think how it can be a mistake...) - she got busted for a prohibited substance. She admitted to taking it for many years. She's got a whole team backing her up - even if she herself didn't read the WADA memo, there's absolutely no excuse for the people supplying her with her supplements to not be up with the prohibited substance list.
To reiterate - this is a drug that has never been allowed by America's FDA. Sharapova has been based in the USA for over 20 years. To get this drug for her alleged heart condition, she'd have to bypass the American healthcare system. As a legitimate excuse, it makes no sense.