Russia questions meldonium ban after positive test for tennis star Sharapova
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has defended Maria Sharapova after the tennis star failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open.
"The recent situation where there is such a flurry of bans and accusations against our leading great athletes raises many questions," Lavrov said in an interview with REN TV channel on Thursday.
The top Russian diplomat questioned the recent decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to put a ban on meldonium, a blood-flow drug developed to treat diabetes and various heart-related diseases, and demanded explanations from the foundation.
"I consider that in response to professional questions, there should follow professional explanations (from WADA)," he said in a rare comment on Russian sport.
Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion and the world’s highest-paid female athlete in 2015, said on Monday that she had tested positive for meldonium, a substance she has been taking since 2006 for health issues.
She said that she had been unaware that the drug had been added to the list of banned substances from January 1.
Following the announcement, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Sharapova would be provisionally suspended from March 12 and could face a four-year ban.
The World Anti-Doping Agency says it banned meldonium because there was evidence it enhanced performance.
Several athletes have tested positive for the drug in 2016.
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