Could WADA Lift Maria Sharapova's Drug Suspension?

Maria Sharapova may have a route to escaping her drug ban. WADA does not have firm data on how long it takes meldonium to exit an athlete system. So, the 172 athletes who have tested positive may be let off the hook, if they can establish they took the drug before the Jan 1 ban.

"Amid growing confusion about the status of an avalanche of positive tests for the drug, which was banned on 1 January this year, Wada said its preliminary tests showed that it could take weeks or months for the drug to leave the body. In such cases, athletes “could not reasonably have known or suspected” that the drug would still be present in their bodies after 1 January, said Wada in a “clarification paper” to its code signatories on how they should prosecute meldonium cases. “In these circumstances Wada considers that there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete,” it added. Sir Craig Reedie, the president of Wada, said: “It is designed to explain the science that we know. The issue that it deals with is the time this drug takes to come out of the system. It’s an attempt to clarify the many questions that we’ve been asked.”"

Sharapova’s positive test came on Jan. 26, which could fall in the “weeks or months” window.

Of course, Sharapova would have to work around the slight difficulty that her proponents already have acknowledged her continued use of the non-FDA approved severe heart disease medication at her Eastern European doctor’s behest after Jan 1.

Sharpova has a provisional suspension, pending a to be scheduled hearing. The Russian Tennis Association still sees her as a possibility for the Rio Olympics.