John Haggerty answers the questions at the centre of the failed drugs test that led to the world No7 being provisionally banned from tennisMaria Sharapova has been provisionally banned from tennis after revealing she had tested positive at the Australian Open for meldonium,also known as mildronate, which the world No7 said she had been taking to combat a magnesium deficiency, or heart problems and because of a family history of diabetes.
Sharapova said she was unaware the World Anti-Doping Agency had banned the drug as of 1 January,though it has since emerged the International Tennis Federation and the Women’s Tennis Association warned players five times during December approximately the impending ban. The Latvian company that manufactures meldonium said the normal course of treatment for the drug was four to six weeks, not the 10 years during which Sharapova says she used the substance.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com