WADA Announces Athletes Could Avoid Sanctions for Meldonium Suspensions

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced on Wednesday that athletes may be able to avoid sanctions for taking meldonium amid uncertainty from the scientific community on how long the drug remains in an athlete's system, according to ESPN.

"It's not an amnesty as such," WADA president Craig Reedie told the Associated Press (via ESPN), after the organization noted that suspension could be lifted for those athletes who took the substance before it was officially banned on Jan. 1.  

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation after admitting in March she failed a drug test at this year's Australian Open in the biggest meldonium case to this point.

At the time, Sharapova maintained that "she started taking the substance in 2006 for magnesium deficiency and irregular EKG results, while also citing a family history of diabetes," according to Kelyn Soong of the Washington Post. 

Sharapova has not yet had a hearing with the ITF regarding her case.

Her attorney, John Haggerty, promptly slammed WADA on Wednesday, per ESPN:

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The fact that WADA felt compelled to issue this unusual statement now is proof of how poorly they handled issues relating to meldonium in 2015. Given the fact that scores of athletes have tested positive for taking what previously was a legal product, it's clear WADA did not handle this properly last year and they're trying to make up for it now.

The notice underscores why so many legitimate questions have been raised concerning WADA's process in banning meldonium as well as the manner in which they notified players. This notice should have been widely distributed in 2015, when it would have made a difference in the lives of many athletes.

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It's unclear when Sharapova stopped using the drug, so it remains to be seen if her suspension will be lifted after WADA's new stance.

Per ESPN's report, several scientific studies have suggested it can take weeks or even months for meldonium to leave a person's system, while "WADA acknowledged that 'there is a lack of clear scientific information' on how long it takes for meldonium to clear the system."

In that regard, it's possible athletes who took the drug before Jan. 1 but ceased doing so when it was added to the banned substances list could still have traces of it in their system. 

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