Martina Hingis announced her retirement today and faced the issue of having tested positive for cocaine.

“I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous that I’ve decided to confront it head on by talking to the press,” she said. “I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely 100 percent innocent.”

Hingis stated that the positive test could lead to a doping suspension of up to two years was the motivating factor in her deciding to retire because she didn’t want to spend years fighting the case.

Though Hingis underwent a privately arranged hair test, which came back negative for cocaine, her official backup “B” sample test also tested positive for the drug.

“I would think that it would be impossible for anyone to maintain the coordination required to play top class tennis while under the influence of drugs. And I know one other thing — I would personally be terrified of taking drugs.”

WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott said the tour had not received any official information about a positive test and “as a result we are not in a position to comment on the matter.”

[Source: Yahoo News]

It turned out to be true. Former athlete, Marion Jones, admitted that she’s been making false statements to federal agents in regard with her using steroids. She went live today to tell all her fans, family and in fact to all the Americans that she’s been dishonest and she actually used performance enhancements before and after the 2000 Olympics Games in Sydney.

This is not a single event with American athletes because the list is pretty big with names like Kelli White, Jerome Young or Dennis Mitchell. Of course there are others that tried to beat the system: Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, Russian bi-athlete, Olga Pyleva.

Why is it that one can’t resist from using steroids in the battle for power and quick reputation? I guess the answer was already offered by Victor Conte, a very disputed character in the sports business that supposedly helped Marion Jones to cheat the system. “The anti doping rules that are in place, are so easy for the athletes to beat, it’s like taking candy from a baby.”

Conte, also admitted for helping Jones just before the 2000 Olympics with an illicit drug that no one knew about, including her sponsors or family. He gave Marion the substance called “the clear”, EPO, growth hormones and insulin none of them detectable by tests. The excuse he’s using for supplying her with these substances is that she was competing against athletes that used drugs for the same reason, to win the Olympics. This is true if we think that second after Jones in 100m was Greek Katerina Thanou who was later found out to be on steroids, too.

Marion Jones, after the Olympics dismissed the fact that she ever met Victor Conte but apparently pictures of the two of them together have been released. The partnership between the two of them started on 1st of August 2000 and lasted till 1st of September 2001, with Marion taking drugs almost on a daily basis and declaring she’s “one hundred percent drug free”.

Today Jones put an end to all of these, coming out and telling the truth. She’s hoping her fans and family won’t be too disappointed and she asked for forgiveness. I really wonder what the consequences will be in her case because losing her medals could be just one thing. I don’t think lying to a federal agent is a good thing, however acknowledging a lie in front of the whole nation is something I can admire. Better late than never.