DISGRACED former Wimbledon champion Martina Hingis – who is currently banned from tennis for using cocaine – will compete in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, despite her past.
The 29-year-old joins sports stars including former jockey Richard Dunwoody, 45, boxer Joe Calzaghe, 37, long jumper Jade Johnson, 29, and former cricketer Phil Tufnell, 43.
Hingis, thought to be pocketing £50,000 for the show, claims she is “100 per cent innocent”, but the International Tennis Federation ruled against her and ordered her to repay almost £80,000 in prize money.
Hingis, 28, was banned for two years after testing positive in Wimbledon 2007. John Beyer, of campaign group Mediawatch-UK, last night accused the BBC of sending out the wrong signals in a family show. “They could have chosen someone without that record,” he said.
But the Swiss star, to be partnered by dancer Matthew Cutler, said: “I want to put everything behind me now. This is a a new start. I hope to win.”
Source: Express.co.uk
Over the past few days I have seen a handful of negative press like the one above in regards to Martina participating in Strictly Come Dancing.
All of them with the same opinion, that a banned or disgraced as they put it former tennis champion should not be allowed to partake in these kinds of competitions.
To which I say, why the hell not?!.
Tennis has nothing to do with dancing, or vice versa for one. And two it's a freakin' reality show for cripes sake!. Not the Olympics.
And like I'm really gonna believe the rest of the participating contestants are all perfect upstanding citizens. Please.
Not that I believe one bit that Martina took anything in the first place. I always have and always will maintain that she is in fact innocent, and that someone set her up.
Seeing all this negativity in regards to Hingis has really made me dislike the British press (and I've always been a big fan).
I guess that's another reason to like America/North America in general they're more inclined to give people second chances whereas the British hang you out to dry.
I applaud Hingis for putting herself out there. I hope she does in fact win the whole thing, and proves them all wrong!.
No comments:
Post a Comment