Sharapova has her eye on Rio return
Maria Sharapova was last night offered a potential route back into tennis despite a positive test for meldonium at the australian Open.
The World anti-Doping agency (WaDa) admitted yesterday they were unsure how long the banned substance can stay in the body — an admission which was attacked by the russian’s lawyer.
Shamil Tarpishchev, head of russia’s tennis federation, even went so far as to say he hoped Sharapova could be back for the rio Olympics in august.
WaDa have given a potential lifeline to athletes who have tested positive for the cardiac drug after admitting it is not clear how long it takes to leave the body.
Meldonium was added to the banned list at the start of 2016 and so far 172 sportsmen and women have failed tests for it.
Studies are currently being conducted into the renal elimination of the drug and WaDa have issued new guidelines which could see some athletes cleared.
WaDa said that, based on the preliminary results of those studies, meldonium could be detectable for several months after it had last been ingested.
Sharapova (right) is the highest-profile athlete to have tested positive and is serving a provisional suspension ahead of a hearing that will determine what sanction she faces.
Considering she admitted when announcing her failed test that she did not know meldonium had been added to the banned list, it is unclear whether WaDa’s change of guidance will affect her case. But, in a statement on the Facebook page of her management company iMG, her lawyer John Haggerty said: ‘The fact that WaDa felt compelled to issue this unusual statement now is proof of how poorly they handled issues relating to meldonium in 2015. ‘Given the fact that scores of athletes have tested positive for taking what previously was a legal product, it’s clear WaDa did not handle this properly last year and they’re trying to make up for it now. ‘The notice underscores why so many legitimate questions have been raised concerning WaDa’s process in banning meldonium as well as the manner in which they notified players. ‘This notice should have been widely distributed in 2015, when it would have made a difference in the lives of many athletes.’ The new WaDa guidance says: ‘in the case of meldonium, there is currently a lack of clear scientific information on excretion times. ‘For this reason, a hearing panel might justifiably find (unless there is specific evidence to the contrary) that an athlete who has established on the balance of probabilities that he or she ingested meldonium before 1 January 2016 could not reasonably have known or suspected that the meldonium would still be present in his or her body on or after 1 January 2016. ‘in these circumstances, WaDa considers there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete.’