MOSCOW: Russian Tennis Star Maria Sharapova may get benefit of doubt in drug test positive case held in January at Australian Open.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced to change its policy of banning meldonium.
WADA claimed that the earlier decision was taken without knowing that how long the drug stays in the body.
WADA sent a memo to the sporting bodies in accordance to their complaint, it claimed “There is currently a lack of clear scientific information on excretion time.”
WADA banned the specified drug in January and during the dope test 172 athletes were found positive including 40 Russian athletes.
The sporting bodies’ complained that the players had stopped taking drug days before the test but still the test came positive.
Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko applauded the move of WADA for understanding the situation.
Sharapova was suspended from International Tennis and many companies and UN also suspended her Brand Ambassadorship after the positive test.
Sharapova claimed that she didn’t know that meldonium and she was taking that drug for 10 years for tissues problem on the recommendation of her family doctor.
Sharapova’s lawyer John Haggerty said “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.”
Its hard to access that how many players stopped taking the drug after its ban as many of them claimed that they stopped taking drug long before the test.