Maria Sharapova Fails Drug Test
The Russian born tennis superstar has been suspended for two years following her use of the drug meldonium at the Australian Open in late January.
The drug also known as mildronate became restricted on January 1st 2016.
Sharapova has already responded saying she would appeal the decision to sport"s highest court.
"While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violaate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," Sharapova said in a statement.
The five-time Grand Slam champion was provisionally suspended by the ITF in early March, when she announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that she failed a doping test in January. She then said she was unaware that the World Anti-Doping Agency had barred athletes from using meldonium from January 1st 2016.
In addition to testing positive at the Australian Open, the ITF said she also failed a test for meldonium in an out-of-competition control in Moscow on February 2nd.
Sharapova"s ban is due to end on January 25th 2018.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEA8diet_9ChCSyei5smPNEXwvHaQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779127794531&ei=tpJYV4CmHceS3gHzroGAAw&url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/tennis/maria-sharapova-banned-two-years-itf
