
Bode Miller Arrested on Drug Charges as Doping Cases Shake Tennis and Athletics
The American skiing great was detained in Idaho and released on bond; Marketa Vondrousova suspended for four years, and Alex Schwazer faces a third doping positive.
Bode Miller, the most decorated male American alpine skier in history, was arrested in Fremont County, Idaho, on 6 June and charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, according to US court documents cited by multiple American media outlets. The 48-year-old Olympic gold medallist was released after posting a $5,000 bond and has entered a not-guilty plea. A court hearing is scheduled for 29 July. Miller, who won six Olympic medals across four Winter Games and retired in 2017, has not publicly commented on the charges.
In a separate development, Czech tennis player Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, has been handed a four-year suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for failing to provide a sample during an out-of-competition doping control at her home last December. Vondrousova, 26, said she did not open the door because the unannounced visit by an unidentified agent late in the evening left her fearing for her safety, citing a past knife attack on compatriot Petra Kvitova. The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), without taking a position on guilt, called the length of the ban for a player who never tested positive “a moment for the sport to reflect” and demanded athletes have a genuine voice in anti-doping rules. Vondrousova has denied ever doping and stated she will request a counter-analysis.
The doping spotlight also fell again on Italian race walker Alex Schwazer, the 2008 Olympic 50km champion. Germany’s national anti-doping agency suspended him this week after a test taken in April detected traces of erythropoietin (EPO), according to Italian press reports. It is the third time Schwazer has failed a doping test. He admitted using EPO before the 2012 London Games and served a three-year ban; in 2016 he tested positive for testosterone but claimed his sample was manipulated, a theory partly supported by an Italian criminal court yet rejected by sport tribunals, which imposed an eight-year ban. Now 41, Schwazer said he is innocent but lacks the strength to mount another legal battle and will only seek a counter-analysis.
Away from sport, Cypriot financial regulator CySEC temporarily suspended the licence of brokerage Mind Money, citing concerns linked to a recent change of chief executive and shareholder structure, Russian business media reported. The move follows the late-May arrest in Moscow of former CEO Yulia Khandoshko on fraud charges related to the conversion of foreign depositary receipts into Russian shares, which authorities allege violated anti-sanctions laws and caused 7 billion roubles in damage. The broker said it is studying the regulator’s decision and has one month to address the issues.
All cases remain in active legal or disciplinary phases. Miller’s court appearance is pending; Vondrousova and Schwazer await counter-analyses and possible appeals; and Mind Money must satisfy CySEC’s requirements to resume full operations.
How the same story is told elsewhere.
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American skiing icon Bode Miller was arrested on drug possession and paraphernalia charges. He posted a $5,000 bond, pleaded not guilty, and is due in court at the end of July.
Ski giant Bode Miller faces drug charges in Idaho, while tennis player Marketa Vondrousova defends herself after a four-year ban for missing a doping test. The cases, alongside Alex Schwazer's third doping scandal, reignite the debate over accountability and the credibility of athletes' explanations.
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