Tennis star Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, said yesterday that she was found to have taken a banned substance in tests administered at this year's Australian Open, calling it a "huge mistake."
According to the Wall Street Journal story, Sharapova said the drug involved was a heart medication that she has been taking for 10 years, but that recently has been place din the "banned substance" category by the World Anti-Doping Agency: "The drug, meldonium, was added to the banned list in September, and went into effect on Jan. 1. Sharapova said she was notified via email in December that WADA’s antidoping policies had been updated, but didn't click on the link to see what new substances were included. She took full responsibility for having the drug in her system and apologized for letting down her fans and the sport."
The feeling seems to be that while Sharapova will be provisionally suspended pending a hearing, any long-term suspension is likely to be minimal in view of the circumstances.
According to the Wall Street Journal story, Sharapova said the drug involved was a heart medication that she has been taking for 10 years, but that recently has been place din the "banned substance" category by the World Anti-Doping Agency: "The drug, meldonium, was added to the banned list in September, and went into effect on Jan. 1. Sharapova said she was notified via email in December that WADA’s antidoping policies had been updated, but didn't click on the link to see what new substances were included. She took full responsibility for having the drug in her system and apologized for letting down her fans and the sport."
The feeling seems to be that while Sharapova will be provisionally suspended pending a hearing, any long-term suspension is likely to be minimal in view of the circumstances.
- KC's View:
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Kind of refreshing to see an athlete a) admit what she did, and b) take full responsibility. Doesn't happen all that often. (Of course, my admiration is based on the early coverage ... we all know that these stories can change as time goes on and we learn more.)
