A mere days before the U.S. women's national team departs for the Olympics, in comes a bit of bad news for one of the team's best players.
Starting goalkeeper Hope Solo received a public warning from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a prohibited subtance violation from June, and U.S. Soccer issued a statement regarding the incident on Monday.
"U.S. Soccer received notification from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that Hope Solo tested positive for a banned substance from an out-of competition urine sample she provided on June 15," read the statement. "After discussions with Hope, we fully support her clarification that the positive test for Canrenone was due to the use of a prescribed medication from a personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes and not related to performance enhancement in any way.
"We fully cooperated with USADA during the disciplinary process to ensure it could be resolved quickly. Hope has accepted the public warning for her rule violation.
U.S. Soccer, Hope and the rest of the Women's National Team staff and players are looking forward to continuing preparations for the 2012 Olympics in London."
The 30-year-old goalkeeper also issued a statement Monday that explained why she consumed the banned substance.
"I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic," read Solo's 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.
"As someone who believes in clean sport, I am glad to have worked with USADA to resolve this matter and I look forward to representing my country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London."
According to the USADA, Canrenone is classified as a Specified Substance and that is why the presence of it an athlete's urine sample can result in a reduced sanction.
The U.S women's national team begin their Olympic campaign on July 25 in the Group G opener against France. They take on Colombia three days later and then close out group play on July 31 versus North Korea.
—-
What do you make of this development?
Share your thoughts below.
Solo should be suspended for using this drug. It masks the use of steriods. DUH!!!
Masking agent. Ban her…..
This drug is a masking agent. She’s a cheat and should be banned. If this was a male athlete he’d be banned already.
Women get out of everything by playing the PMS card, it’s like a Get Out of Jail free card.
Well played, Hope.
CLAMbuterol? Isn’t that also known as a Chelada?
hmmmm
The U22 Mexican squad that took part in Copa America never tested positive for any banned substances. More than half of that squad took part in the U20 WC and none of them ever tested positive for Clenbuterol.
Me thinks you don’t really know what you’re talking about.
Your facts are all WRONG! Mexico had 5 players including Goalkeeper Ochoa BANNED by the Mexican Soccer Federation from further participation in the Gold Cup and were not allowed to play for six months after for eating meat tainted with Clambuterol. The Copa America incident was a completely separate incident with different players taken out of the roster because of violation of curfew!
At least she (along with the rest of the team) wasn’t struck by lightning during a practice and had to undergo steroid treatment. Those poor North Koreans.
Nice.
Soccer is not (yet) a zero-tolerance sport.That means they let players off with a warning or a minor wrist-slap. A majority of the Mexican U-21 soccer team test positive for Clerbuterol and they were given a stiff wag of the finger and sent home to reflect on their sins. When Alberto Contador was found positive for the same drug in an amount that was so trivial that it was almost undetectable, he was stripped of his Tour de France title and has a two-year ban slapped on him. Both, the Mx. youth team and Cantadoe claimed it was from tainted meat( as the chemical is used to make cattle leaner) but cycling being a zero-tolerance sport, you are severely beaten and hung by your short and curlys, but soccer gives you a “tsk-tsk there-there” and send you on your way.This is why Lance Armstrong who has NEVER tested positive in 20 years of testing is being hounded by the USADA. They just can’t believe anyone is that good unless they are a drug cheat. If Hope Solo was a cyclists, she would be serving a two year ban and the US Women’s team would have to have forfeit their Second place in the WC. Fortunately there are saner heads in soccer.
Correct on (1), but (2) might be more open to question. The hormone she supposedly would be trying to surpress happens to be a steroid, which means though USADA is giving her the benefit of the doubt, it in theory could be either a natural hormone or injected steroid she was trying to surpress. So her PMS med could be another person’s masking agent. Only she and her MD would know for sure. They have banned at least one other pro athlete for this very ingredient.
LOL!
+1
I read somewhere that their periods attract bears. The bears can smell the menstruation.
Best post in weeks.
Well done.
No, but it’d be a great headline:
“Hope-less US team heads to London”
why?
do a search. well known story.
Never heard about the Copa America one, do you have a link? Or are u bsing?
yes, women are scary!
i hope this blows over… you wouldn’t want the team to lose Hope AMIRITE!?!
Exactly.
She (1) was not banned, and (2) did not take a “masking agent.”
Try reading the article next time.
I’d inject her.
she looks like an alligator
Yes. Completely cleared up. Hours ago. She was NEVER banned.
Is this cleared up….I didn’t read that. Why would any athletic not get every substanced cleared by the team/federation doctor prior to taking anything?? Just stupid given how many athletes have received bans for this sort of thing.
Yeah…way too much information. At least she will be able to play.
Nope. It’s about context.
Remember the Mexican teams at both the Gold Cup and Copa American having multiple doping failures b/c of animal steroids. Any bans on that one? Nope–FIFA concluded it was due to contaminated beef in Mexico fed illegal steroids.
Hope is rolling Solo, she doesn’t give a dang what Sapong has to say…
A 30 year old athlete trying to drop a few pounds before a major competition is not a surprise. I don’t think this is a big deal.
talk about PMSing…
Thank you. My thoughts exactly.
but in Toure’s case, he’s a professional athlete. Dude works out everyday, he doesn’t need to be taking diet pills which enhance your metabolism
Read much? She released the info and wanted it “splashed all over the news” after testing positive for a banned drug.
She clearly wasn’t banned but was given a slap on the wrist by the US authorities. However, it is an “aldosterone antagonist,” which means it could be used both (a) to combat PMS aldosterone hormonal excess or (b) as a diuretic to mask aldosterone abuse, depending on what the truth is. A female tennis player last-named Nagle served a brief ban for canrenone “doping” in 2009, because she basically couldn’t explain how it showed up. The fact she was banned for a few months also says this is not a random, new thing, it’s been a known banned substance for a few years.
After being informed that I had breathed in oxygen it was later determined that I should not have breathed at all…..Therefore I am sadden to say that I must leave the team due to being a person and being alive.
When will it end?
Diet Pills
*HIPAA (sorry, I’m in health care admin)
Kolo Toure took a PMS med?
He’s getting that medication right now.
+1 this should not be public news!
EMABARRASSSSSSSING!
Did you read a thing?
Most importantly, what does CJ Sapong think of all this?
Was this a masking agent? If it was then I am glad she was banned. She knew this was a banned drug. No way she would have taken it if it was on the list.
Good for Hope. Her PMS treatment info gets to be splashed all over the news. I’m sure it’s what she wanted.
HIPPA, what?
I wouldn’t mind seeing Barnhardt get 1A playing minutes if it came to that
Don’t you normally get banned for this stuff? I for one am happy that she didn’t get banned, but surprised to here the rules are so lax. I remember Kolo Toure of Manchester City trying the same routine (whether he was telling the truth is hard to tell) but getting banned anyway.
This is way more info than I wanted.