Maria Sharapova Drug Test Failure Results in Termination of Sponsorships

The Maria Sharapova drug test proved to be positive. Maria Sharapova (28) the popular Russian tennis player failed in drug test which has resulted her ban from the sport indefinitely.

She confessed on Monday that she had a drug issue during the Australian Open back in January.  Until her case is cleared, she is banned from playing tennis indefinitely. She was informed of her positive test on the 2nd of March and the date of the suspension starts on 12 March.

Her lawyer tries to find a solution saying that he believes there are “mitigating circumstances” in the case. He added, when someone takes banned substances directly in order to produce bigger achievements, there is a 4-year ban. If it’s not intentional the ban is only 2-year long. In Sharapova’s case, he strongly believes in the elimination of sanctions.

Maria Sharapova Drug Test and Different Aspects of the Issue

As she announced on Monday, she has been taking that particular drug called Mildronate AKA Meldonium for 10 years in order to increase low magnesium level and maintain normal heart conditions. The tennis superstar explained she was sick quite often and also had irregular EKGs. Moreover, she is disposed to have diabetes.

However, Meldonium is considered to be a blood-flow promoting drug causing massive increase in stamina due to its’ high oxygen uptake.

The problem was when she got the email including the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list, she simply didn’t open the link to check if there were any changes. She also established that she wasn’t aware of that the two drugs are the same. (We should ask her doctor though, how is that possible. Or may be he didn’t know either? Than what kind of professional are we talking about…) At least his lawyer is doing a great job by claiming Maria was taking a lower dosage than having been able to gain competitive advantages.

On the contrary, the Russian player stated that she is facing the consequences. She added, ‘I don’t want to end my career this way, and I really hope I’m given another chance to play this game.’

Sponsorships and Promising Career Prior to The Maria Sharapova Drug Test

We have already dedicated an article about lost sports sponsorships due to irresponsible behavior. Now, we can add the case of Maria Sharapova drug test to the long list. Although, she is a top ranked player she has lost 2 valuable sponsorship deals immediately. Nike and Tag Heuer said goodbye to her due to the announcement.

She is considered to be one of the best paid female athletes – earned $29.5 million in 2015 according to Forbes’s estimations.

The first time she became a championship was in 2004, at the age of 17 in Wimbledon. Sharapova was the world’s top ranked player in the August of 2005.

As a response to the charges she declared in her statement that, ‘I failed the test and I take full responsibility for it. I made a huge mistake.’

Well, we will see if honesty and confession helps against law.