It was legal, hence not doping. Moreover, anyone could've taken it since it was legal, this it did not give unfair advantage. What then is a good reason to ban substances that are not harmful? Stuff like steroids or extra hormones can cause serious consequences, hence it must be banned so athletes don't have to hurt themselves to win, but this? May as well ban caffeine then, I read that was an actual proposition once.
It was banned until the early 2000's, as it is proven to enhance performance-since then athletes are free to consume it even thought it would have constituted a ban for many years prior to that. WADA just make it up as they go along in a blind panic, rather than actually looking at the evidence.
But as the tally of failed tests increases, critics are raising questions about its performance enhancing benefits and how WADA could ban the drug with what they say is relatively little scientific evidence. “There’s really no evidence that there’s any performance enhancement from meldonium. Zero,” said Don Catlin, a long-time anti-doping expert and the scientific director of the Banned Substances Control Group.
Catlin and others question whether meldonium meets the basic criteria to be considered for the list. It’s not that it doesn’t enhance performance, Catlin said, it’s that there’s not research to show that. “They have to try to show that it enhances performance, but by banning it they’ve already said it enhances performance and that will make people turn to it,” Catlin said. “You can find that it has effects, but it’s difficult to link those to performance enhancement,” said Catlin. “I’ve tried and tried to figure out why so many athletes seem to be taking it.”
For its part, Grindeks, the company that manufactures Mildronate, says it is not a performance-enhancing drug because it prevents the death of ischemic cells and does not increase performance of normal cells. In guidance issued after the drug was banned, the Finnish Anti-Doping Agency noted there is “little scientific evidence of meldonium being able to enhance athletic performance.”
But here lies the issue-WADA can do as they please based on nothing more than rumours & suspicion with zero oversight or comeback- WADA does not have to prove a substance’s performance enhancing effects, and athletes are not able to challenge a drug’s inclusion on the prohibited list.
