10 athletes who were involved in doping scandals

Maria Sharapova admitted in a press conference that she had tested positive for banned substance meldonium, which she says she had been taking in the form of medication for the better part of a decade without the knowledge that it was banned.Read more: Sharapova tests positive for banned substance - All you need to know https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/maria-sharapova-admits-to-failing-australian-open-drug-test-2016Here, we look at 10 other athletes who have had drug-related struggles.

#10 Rio Ferdinand

He has since retired, but the defender skipped a drug test during his United days

Former Manchester United and England centreback Rio Ferdinand has had a long, illustrious career that saw him become one of the most decorated footballers of all time. Capped for England 81 times during his career, Ferdinand played for his country at three FIFA World Cups.

Although he made his debut with West Ham, it was during his 12-year stint at United that Ferdinand had the most success, and at the time his first five-year deal at the club was finalised, became the most expensive British footballer in history.

In 2003, Ferdinand failed to take a mandatory drugs test scheduled for September of that year, and an independent tribunal found the Manchester United defender guilty of misconduct. He had missed the test timing – on a shopping trip at the time, and although he returned and offered to retake the test and offer hair follicle samples, the FA refused.

The FA’s Disciplinary Committee handed him an 8-month ban and a fine of £50,000, which was upheld on appeal.

#9 Mo Farah

Farah is trained by disgraced marathon coach Alberto Salazar, who was subject to a BBC Investigation for doping

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah may not have strictly failed a drug test, but the Briton missed two drug tests ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, the first of those prior to breaking the 5000m record in Britain, previously held by athlete David Moorcroft.

He then missed another test alleging that he “did not hear the doorbell” of the agent who had reached his home to collect samples. The fact that he missed two tests was made worse by the fact that Rupp had, at the time, been training with former marathoner Alberto Salazar, who was the subject of a BBC investigation that found evidence to suggest he had been doping several athletes who trained under him.

Farah was investigated by UK Athletics, who last year conducted their own tests into his samples.

#8 Floyd Mayweather

The best pound-for-pound boxer took banned IV supplements ahead of his Pacquiao bout

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr may be one of the most successful in the history of the sport, but his reputation outside the ring precedes him, and it is not a good one. The American lives a famously flashy lifestyle, flaunting his wealth and travels on social media. He has had serious brushes with the law for repeated cases of domestic abuse and assault.

Ahead of what he called the ‘final professional fight’ of his boxing career against the Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather was found to have been taking vitamin supplements intravenously. Although none of the ingredients in the supplement were banned by WADA, the fact that they were injected intravenously is.

Mayweather’s team avered that the supplements were merely to “ward off dehydration,” and the USADA granted the boxer an exemption.

#7 Marin Cilic

Cilic says he had been taking glucose supplements

The most recent of tennis’ doping scandals involved Croat ace Marin Cilic. The 2014 US Open champion had a bleak 2013, that year testing positive for banned substance nikethamide.

He maintains that the substance entered his system as a result of glucose supplements he had been taking, the formulation of which was different in France, where he had been at the time. He had been taking the supplements in tablet form, and said that the composition of the supplement in France contained nikethamide, which he had been unaware of.

As a result, the ITF handed Cilic a 9-month ban from the sport, one that was later reduced to four months by the CAS (the Court of Arbitration of Sport).

He would go on to win his only Grand Slam so far the following year, and is currently ranked 12^th in the world.

#6 Shane Warne

Warne was sent home ahead of the 2003 ICC World Cup

One of the legends of the game, Warne’s spin often appeared to defy the laws of physics. Apart from his powerhouse bowling, the Australian is a memorable figure on and off the pitch, and lives a colourful life.

His statistics speak for themselves, but so do the numerous controversies Warne was involved in. Most significantly, the spinner saw himself on a flight back to Australia on the eve of the team’s first match at the 2003 ICC World Cup in South Africa, having tested positive for a banned diuretic at the time.

Australia went on to beat India in the finals of that World Cup, but Warne was not on the match-winning side.

He told the ICC his ‘mother had given him the drug’ to help with weight loss, but they did not accept his explanation. Warne was handed a 12-month ban, and returned to the sport the following year, spending another three years on the team before retiring from the sport.

#5 Diego Maradona

The “Hand of God” is considered one of football’s greatest moments

Many footballers, analysts, critics and fans regard Maradona as perhaps the greatest footballer to ever have lived. The Argentine legend played in four separate FIFA World Cup squads, one of which he captained to victory.

Dubbed the ‘Golden Boy’, Maradona led the 1986 team to a title victory over then-West Germany, and scored both the team’s goals in their 2-1 win. That final was also the scene for the Hand of God, regarded universally as one of the greatest moments in football history.

But behind the scenes, Maradona battled a serious addiction to cocaine. He was a habitual user of the drug from the 1980s until as recently as 2004. His addiction reached his peak while he was playing for Napoli, and Maradona served a 15-month ban, leaving the club at the end of 1992.

He has allegedly been clean since 2005, after spending a few years in and out of hospital for drug and alcohol-related issues.

#4 Shoaib Akhtar

Akhtar most recently played in the Cricket All-Stars

Dubbed the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ for his unmatchable speeds, Shoaib Akhtar is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers in the history of cricket, and arguably the fastest of all time. He is no stranger to scandal, and frequently found himself in the media glare due to his insubordinate and churlish attitude.

Nearly a decade into his career, Akhtar, who had been on the Pakistani squad due to play the 2006 ICC Champions trophy, failed a drug test, testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone. He had previously been reported by his onetime captain Inzamam-ul-Haq for drug use, but the Pakistan Cricket Board had not taken any action at the time.

The drug promotes and accelerates muscle growth, and several athletes across sports have been caught using it in the past. Akhtar, after testing positive, was immediately withdrawn from the Champions Trophy squad.

Teammate Mohammad Asif also tested positive, with Akhtar’s claim of taking ‘dietary supplements’ rejected outright. He was handed a 2-year ban from the sport, with Asif taking a one year suspension. Akhtar also found himself added to the ICC’s list of offenders as a result.

#3 Andre Agassi

Agassi came clean about his crystal meth use in his autobiography, Open

Unlike a number of tennis players, Agassi’s drug use was not with the view of performance enhancement. The former World No. 1, whose personal issues saw themselves played out in the media during his heyday, was struggling with his career, family and the breakdown of his marriage to model Brooke Shields.

The American had been going through a bleak period in his career at the time, and admitted he took crystal methamphetamine at home. In his autobiography, Open, Agassi admitted that he used crystal meth at home on a regular basis with an assistant named in the book only as ‘Slim’.

"Slim is stressed too … He says, You want to get high with me? On what? Gack. What the hell's gack? Crystal meth. Why do they call it gack? Because that's the sound you make when you're high … Make you feel like Superman, dude.

"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed.

Agassi was contacted by the ATP, with a doctor for the association informing him he faced a 3-month ban and the loss of his titles. The American wrote a letter to the association, claiming he had taken a swig from one of Slim’s drinks, which he told them the assistant regularly spiked with meth, and unwittingly ingested the drug.

The ATP believed Agassi, who kept his titles, and the American stopped using drugs and went to rehab soon after. He managed to successfully turn his life around, and married tennis legend Steffi Graf in 2000. The pair are still married, and have two children.

#2 Lance Armstrong

The disgraced seven-time Tour de France champion revealed his doping on Oprah

Once one of the world's most well-respected athletes, Lance Armstrong's name now brings doping to mind almost instantly. The disgraced cyclist faced doping allegations all through his illustrious career, but steadfastly denied them each time.The seven-time Tour de France winner even said he had "never had any sample test positive" throughout his 20-year career, but investigations uncovered significant evidence to the contrary.Over the years, independent investigations by journalists revealed Armstrong had been using performance-enhancing drugs for a significant part of his career, allegations that were backed up by his onetime assistant Emma O'Reilly, who is said to have helped the cyclist dispose of used syringes and help him arrange backdated prescriptions to cover up his use of steroids.O'Reilly revealed that Armstrong and his team had a number of doctors who were paid to comply with requests such as these, and she would often help arrange these prescriptions for the American.There were several lawsuits filed by and against Armstrong in this period, but it was not until 2012 that any real action was taken against Armstrong. In 2010, American cyclist Floyd Landis admitted he had been doping, and said Armstrong was among a number of other cyclists who had been doing the same. The allegations prompted a full-blown investigation by the United States Justice department. That led nowhere, with the charges being dropped arbitrarily.He was formally charged by USADA in 2012, and after years of denials, came clean in 2013 - in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Immediately stripped of all his titles, Armstrong lost each of his sponsors.Ever since, his name has become synonymous with doping.

#1 Martina Hingis

Former singles no. 1 Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine

Doubles World No. 1 Martina Hingis, a tennis prodigy who won her first Grand Slam at only 16 years old, has had a stellar professional career – even after coming out of a second retirement. She has not been known to have taken performance-enhancing drugs in a career that saw her win 5 singles grand slams, 12 in the doubles and a further four in the mixed doubles.

Her records speak for themselves, but in 2007, Hingis called a press conference to announce her urine sample had tested positive for benzoylecgonine ahead of Wimbledon that year. Benzoylecgonine is the main metabolite of cocaine,

The levels found in Hingis' blood were even lower than half mandated regulations for most workplace drug testing. Given the minimal concentration of the metabolite in her blood, Hingis appealed against the ban, saying the substance was in her system due to contamination rather than the actual ingestion of cocaine.

The appeal was disregarded, and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) handed Hingis a two-year suspension from the sport.