Men’s tennis world No 2 Andy Murray has said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) made “mistakes” over how it handled the ban on the drug meldonium, allowing athletes to escape suspensions.
A number of athletes have since tested positive for meldonium since it was added to Wada’s list of banned substances on January 1, the most high profile five-time grand slam champion and highest earning female athlete Maria Sharapova.
But the anti-doping body issued a statement in April saying that it did not know for sure how long it takes meldonium to leave the body.
That grey area has allowed athletes across numerous sports to escape suspension unless it can be proved they took the medication during 2016, after it was banned.
See also:
• Ahmed Rizvi: In light of Sharapova scandal, tennis should deploy a 'quality over quantity' system
• Osman Samiuddin: Maria Sharapova, Lance Armstrong and how to reconsider how we think of doping
• Jon Turner: Maria Sharapova, perpetrator of a small crime, learning superstar status cuts both ways
Sharapova had her two-year tennis ban for doping reduced to 15 months by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday.
“You could understand if it was reduced,” Murray said, referring to Sharapova’s two-year ban.
“It’s a difficult situation because I think Wada obviously made some mistakes with the substance, with meldonium.
“A lot of athletes were let off because they (Wada) didn’t know how long the substance stayed in the system for.”
Murray, a three-time grand slam champion, has been very outspoken on doping issues and slammed one of his main sponsor’s, tennis racket manufacturer Head, for standing by Sharapova when she admitted taking meldonium.
Sharapova tested positive for meldonium during January’s Australian Open and admitted to taking it during that tournament, after it was added to the banned substance list.
Meldonium has been used to treat heart disease and diabetes but also increase blood flow so can enhance athletic performance.
American tennis player Varvara Lepchenko was exonerated of any wrongdoing in September after testing positive for meldonium.
Wada said the decreasing amounts of meldonium in Lepchenko’s samples was consistent with her account that she only used the medication prior to it being added to the banned list at the start of the year.
Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova was provisionally suspended by the swimming governing body FINA in March after a positive test for the drug.
As a two-time offender she faced a lifetime ban, but Fina lifted the suspension in May after Wada issued the statement saying it was unsure about how long the substance takes to leave the system.
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
