NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 16: The AITA on Friday denied having received any communiation from star women’s doubles player Sania Mirza or her mother Naseema to plead on her behalf for an allegedly deprived Olympics medal after hackers revealed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had permitted American Venus Williams to use prohibited substances under Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs).
The country’s apex tennis body was reacting to media reports that Sania’s mother had urged All India Tennis Association (AITA) President Anil Khanna to look into the matter and speak to “appropriate authorities”.
“All India Tennis Association has received no communication from either Mrs Nasima Mirza or Ms Sania Mirza or MYAS (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) regarding the issue of WADA, as has been reported by a section of media,” AITA said in a release.After the AITA statement, Sania herself took to Twitter to dissociate herself from the news report.
Posting an image of the AITA statement, she said: “Hope this clears EVERYTHING out! And hoping this will make as big headlines as the ‘controversy’! #unneccessarydrama” Sania tweeted.
“This is for everyone who believe everything they read in the media!!! Calm down and think before believing and reacting! #idiots,” she continued.
Sania, pairing with Rohan Bopanna, lost to the US mixed doubles combo of Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram in the semifinals of the tennis competitions at Rio de Janeiro.
The Indian pair also lost their bronze medal match while Williams and Ram settled for the silver losing to compatriots Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock.
The Russian hacking group Fancy Bears’ Hack Team on Tuesday claimed to have accessed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) database, alleging that American tennis stars Serena and VenusWilliams and four-time Rio Olympics gold medallist gymnast Simone Biles have been allowed to consume banned substances on medical grounds.
The site claimed former No.1 Serena was allowed to take banned substances such as oxycodone, hydromorphone, prednisone and methylprednisolone in 2010, 2014 and 2015.
Serena’s sister Venus was allowed to take prednisone, prednisolone and triamcinolone among others in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The documents do not reveal the diagnoses of the athletes which led to WADA allowing them to take the substances.
“After detailed studying of the hacked WADA databases, we figured out that dozens of American athletes had tested positive,” the Fancy Bears’ group claimed on its website on Tuesday.
The group released a fresh set of hacked information from WADA’s database on Wednesday that had names of several other high profile athletes.
