The tennis world received some shocking news when Maria Sharapova announced that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open this year. Sharapova is one of the most notable athletes in the world, and the news of the failed test created a stir not only in the United States but also in her home country of Russia.
Sharapova announced the news in a press conference earlier in the week that she failed a test for the drug mildronate. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke with the media on Wednesday about the developments in the case and said that the failed test by Sharapova is not a reflection of Russian athletics as a whole.
"The situation should not be presented in such a way that it somehow casts a shadow on all Russian sports, on great achievements of our athletes," Peskov said.
Last year allegations came out against the All-Russia Athletic Federation that a number of athletes were tied to doping. The ARAF was later suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Sharapova is one of the most well-known Russian athletes in the world. The 28-year-old star said that she "made a huge mistake" and that she had been taking the drug for medical issues.
"Attempts to politicize sports, attempts to add character to sports of some kind of political instrument for achieving some aims, are destructive for sports, for international sports, and are unacceptable and inexcusable," Peskov said.
Sharapova said that she has been taking the mildronate medicine for a decade after dealing with irregular EKGs. The drug, which is also known as meldonium, was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2016. Sharapova said that she did not know that mildronate and meldonium were the same drug, and did not realize that it was banned this year.
Sharapova told reporters that she received a letter from the International Tennis Federation about the failed drug test. Sharapova has already lost some sponsorships due to the failed drug test, including with TAG Heuer. Nike announced that it has suspended its relationship with Sharapova for the time being. The company said it will "continue to monitor the situation."
"For the past 10 years I have been given a medicine called mildronate by my doctor, my family doctor, and a few days ago after I received the ITF letter I found out that it also has another name, meldonium, which I did not know," Sharapova said.
