ITF Reacts to Sharapova Reproach

The International Tennis Federation responded on Thursday at criticism on its handling of women’s tennis star Maria Sharapova’s drugs ban.

In a statement, the administrator of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program rejected insinuations by Sharapova that its independent tribunal was biased. He also denied it had requested a four-year ban for the five-time grand slam winner.

The ITF also stressed that before meldonium was put on the banned list this year, it was unaware that eastern European athletes regularly used the drug.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has cleared the former world number one to return to action in April. This decision came after Sharapova’s two-year suspension was cut to 15 months on Tuesday.

The Russian said then that the ITF should be more effective at communicating with athletes as other sports federations had been.

“The ITF did not try to ban Ms. Sharapova for four years, as has been suggested,” the tennis ruling body said. It stated that it was the responsibility of the Independent Tribunal to decide what the suitable penalty should be.

Allegations that tribunal was biased

On suggestions that the Independent Tribunal was “not neutral,” the ITF said that Ms. Sharapova’s legal team was provided the option to oppose to the appointment of any member of that Tribunal before the hearing. They also said, “and they agreed in writing that they had no such objection.”

Further, the ITF deemed that it had taken proper steps to announce changes to the banned list. It was also not true to say that the ITF knew of extensive use of meldonium in Eastern Europe. Additionally, it should have afforded specific notice, it said.

The ITF added that Sharapova accepted in the hearing before CAS that the tennis ruling body was unaware before 2016 about the degree to which meldonium was used by athletes form any region. They also did not know that the Russian herself used the drug.

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Sharapova’s Doping Ban Reduced, Can Play Again in April

Maria Sharapova has been cleared to play again on April next year after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) cut her two year drugs ban to 15 months on Tuesday.

The former world number one ranked player tested positive for the prohibited heart medication meldonium at the Australian Open in January. She acknowledged taking meldonium but said that she had been unaware that it had been banned by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The player was imposed a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Meldonium was found to increase blood flow and improve athletic performance and was added to WADA’s list of banned substances at the start of the year.

The CAS committee found that the Russian athlete “bore some degree of fault” but “less than significant fault” in the case. Sharapova relied on her agent Max Eisendbud to check the prohibited list for changes but failed to confirm that he had acted on it.

John Haggerty, Sharapova’s lawyer, said that Tuesday’s ruling was a “stunning repudiation” of the ITF, which failed to appropriately inform players of the meldonium ban.

He added that the CAS panel has established that it is not agreement with many of the conclusions of the ITF.

WADA said that it stands by the ruling and that the CAS has completely examined all available information and evidence in the case.

Sharapova said she took the drug for magnesium deficiency and regular bouts of the flu. Her family doctor first prescribed her the Latvian-made drug in 2006.

The five-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged that she had taken responsibility from the very beginning for not knowing that the over-the-counter supplement she had taken for 10 years was no longer allowed. “I have learned from this, and I hope the ITF has as well,” Sharapova said.

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