By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Authorities warned Maria Sharapova five times that the drug she was taking had been added to WADA's banned list, the Times of London reports.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Maria Sharapova says negligence contributed to her positive drug test at the Australian Open.
A new report suggests willful ignorance is a more probable cause.
More: Serena, Henin, Safin React to Sharapova's Failed Drug Test
The former world No. 1 says she failed to read an email stating meldonium, a drug she had been taking for 10 years, had been added to the World Anti Doping Agency's banned list on January 1st.
Sharapova received plenty of fair warning, according to a Times of London report.
Authorities say Sharapova was warned five times the drug was banned prior to her positive drug test on January 26th at the Australian Open.
A key passage from The Times report:
In December, there were three correspondences from the International Tennis Federation [ITF] and two from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), all containing warnings that meldonium—which is also known as mildronate — was to be banned. WADA had also given notice of the fact as early as September.
The communications included “wallet cards” listing banned substances on December 3, a link to the latest documents posted on the international federation’s website on December 7 and a further notification from the women’s association on December 11. On December 22, players were provided with another link via email—which was referred to by Sharapova in her press conference—and there was a final reminder by the WTA on December 29.
Those warnings weeks before her test could weaken Sharapova's argument of negligence caused by her failure to click an email link detailing the drug's banned status.
The Times of London also reports:
Though Sharapova says she used meldonium for a decade, the manufacturer’s recommended treatment time is four to six weeks.
The drug's inventor has publicly "boasted of its performance-enhancing properties for athletes."
Sharapova cited a family history of diabetes as a reason for taking the drug, however meldonium is not typically prescribed for diabetes treatment.
Meanwhile Sharapova's attorney, John Haggerty, told The Times the level of meldonium she ingested was too small to enhance her performance.
That raises a central question: Did the five-time Grand Slam champion report her meldonium usage on the medical form she filled out when giving her sample for testing at the Australian Open?
If she did not disclose her medical use of meldonium then it could impact the length of her suspension, Richard Ings, former head of the men's anti-doping program, told The Times.
"There are no excuses for not knowing it was on the banned list," Ings told The Times. "The bottom line will be the doping control form and whether there has been full and honest disclosure of all the medication she was taking.”
A three-member tribunal will hear Sharapova's case and issue a penalty. While a first-time offender who knowingly ingested a performance enhancing substance faces a maximum sentence of four years, it is unlikely Sharapova will be hit with a four-year ban.
Some experts suggest she will probably receive a one-year ban.