Maria Sharapova handed two-year ban

ByArun S Kaimal, SportsCafe Editor

06/08/2016

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Wednesday suspended Maria Sharapova for two years for committing an anti-doping violation. The 29-year-old Russian had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, back in January, and was provisionally suspended by the ITF in early March.

“An Independent Tribunal appointed under Article 8.1 of the 2016 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the "Programme") has found that Maria Sharapova committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme and as a consequence has disqualified the affected results and imposed a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on 26 January 2016,” said a press release from the International Tennis Federation.

The five-time grand slam champion provided her urine sample after the quarter-final match at the Australian Open on January 26, 2016. The urine sample was tested at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada and was found to contain meldonium, which is a metabolic modulator that is included under section S4 (Hormone and Metabolic Modulators) of the 2016 WADA-Prohibited List, and therefore is also prohibited under the Programme.

The ITF, then provisionally suspended the Russian tennis player on March 2, 2016, and charged her with an anti-doping violation. Sharapova had said then that she was not aware that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had barred athletes from taking meldonium as of January 1, 2016. The Russian also argued that she has been taking the substance, a heart disease drug, since 2006.

"I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," the five-time Grand Slam winner wrote on Facebook.

"With their decision of a two-year suspension, the ITF tribunal unanimously concluded that what I did was not intentional.

"The ITF asked the tribunal to suspend me for four years - the required suspension for an intentional violation - and the tribunal rejected the ITF's position.

"I intend to stand for what I believe is right and that's why I will fight to be back on the tennis court as soon as possible," Sharapova added.

According to reports, Sharapova will appeal against the two-year ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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