Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/651042
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2016 20 SWISS watchmaker TAG Heuer became the latest sponsor to sever ties with Maria Sharapova on Tuesday, as the world's high- est-paid female athlete started to count the cost of a failed drug test and likely ban from tennis. Sports firm Nike and German luxury car maker Porsche also said they were suspending their rela- tionship with the five-time Grand Slam champion as the 28-year- old Russian awaits a decision on whether she will be banned. The failed drug test at January's Australian Open, one of four an- nual Grand Slam events, will be costly for her at a time when sports bodies and sponsors are taking a tough line following a series of corruption and doping scandals. Sharapova earned $29.7 million last year, Forbes magazine re- ported, and most of it came from endorsements, appearances and royalties rather than her victories on court. She was the world's highest-paid female athlete last year for the 11th consecutive year, and Forbes put her off-court career earnings at more than $200 million. "We're now entering a zero tol- erance era for sponsors," said Ru- pert Pratt, co-founder of sports sponsorship agency Generate. "It is now seen as not acceptable to 'stand by your man' because of the amount of scrutiny corporates are now under". Sharapova, who lit up women's tennis when she won Wimbledon in 2004 as a 17-year-old and is still ranked among the top players, an- nounced on Monday she had test- ed positive for meldonium, which she said she was taking for diabe- tes and low magnesium. The drug is also used to treat chest pain and heart problems as it boosts blood flow. Some researchers have linked it to increased athletic per- formance, better endurance and speedier recovery. It was recently listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) among its pro- hibited metabolic modulators, which include insulin. Sharapova said she had been taking the substance for a decade for health reasons and had not read an email informing her that a ban on its use in sport, imposed by WADA, had come into force on Jan. 1. She will be provisionally sus- pended from playing tennis from March 12 and could be prevented from competing for Russia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this year. Sharapova's deal with Tag Heuer had expired at the end of 2015, and the company had been in talks to extend the collaboration, it said on Tuesday. "In view of the current situation, the Swiss watch brand has sus- pended negotiations and has de- cided not to renew the contract," TAG Heuer, a unit of French lux- ury goods group LVMH, said in a statement. Porsche, a division of Volkswa- gen, said it was suspending Shara- pova's role as its brand ambassa- dor. Sport SPORTTODAY TENNIS Sharapova starts to count cost of failed drug test, possible ban Maria Sharapova is said to be facing a lengthy ban from tennis after testing positive for the use of meldonium at the Australian Open in January Sharapova drug makers: 'Meldonium is usually only used for 4-6 weeks, not 10 years' THE Latvian makers of meldoni- um have said the standard treat- ment for taking the drug is four to six weeks, not the 10 years Maria Sharapova says she was was using it. The Russian five-times Grand Slam winner failed a doping test at the Australian Open in January for taking meldonium, a drug that was banned by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) at the outset of January. The substance has been banned because it assists the body's abil- ity to take on oxygen and boost endurance. "It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA's banned list and I had been legal- ly taking that medicine for the past 10 years," said Sharapova at a media conference on Monday evening." Speaking to the Associated Press, Grindeks, the Lavian manufacturers of meldonium, explained the reasons for taking the drug. "Treatment course can be re- peated twice or thrice a year. "Only physicians can follow and evaluate a patient's health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time." The company said the drug was to help patients with chronic heart and circulation problems. "It would be reasonable to rec- ommend them to use meldonium as a cell protector to avoid heart failure or muscle damage in case of unwanted overload." What is meldonium and what does it do? Also known as mildronate, meldonium is used to treat chest pain and heart attacks among other conditions. The drug works by treating is- chaemia, a lack of blood f low to parts of the body. It dilates blood vessels and increases blood f low. It is made in Latvia and licensed in several European countries - including Russia - though it is not approved for use in the USA Why is it banned? It is listed by WADA as an 'S4' substance, along with other prohibited metabolic modula- tors including insulin, as some researchers say it can also help recovery. Researchers have also linked it to increased athletic perfor- mance and endurance. WADA made the decision to ban it last September, with the decision coming in to force on January 1st. The organisation cited "evidence of its use by ath- letes with the intention of en- hancing performance" when it introduced the ban. According to the US National Library of Medicine (as cited by health24.com), it improves us- ers' mood and allows them to become more active. Russian sports minister warns more athletes could test positive for meldonium RUSSIAN sports minister Vitaly Mutko says more of the coun- try's athletes could follow Maria Sharapova and failing doping tests for meldonium. Tennis star Maria Sharapova claimed she had been taking the drug for 10 years for medical reasons as she admitted failing a drugs test at the Australian Open. Mutko said the drug, manufac- tured in Latvia, is popular among the country's athletes and warned of further revelations to come. "Maybe this will wake our train- ers and federation up a bit. Unfor- tunately, a lot of athletes took this medicine," he told the Russian agency R-Sport. "There won't be a huge wave but I suspect there could be several more cases. "This medicine used to be al- lowed, it does not do anything major, it just helped a lot of people with their recovery times; it did not offer any unfair advantages." Russia's short-track speed-skat- er and 2014 Olympics champion Semion Elistratov and five-time world champion skater Pavel Kulizhnikov have tested positive for the presence of meldonium, according to R-Sport. Alexander Markin, a member of Russia's national volleyball team and the Dinamo Moscow volley- ball club, also tested positive for meldonium, R-Sport news agency quoted the Volleyball Federation of Russia as saying on Tuesday. "Markin's case will be reviewed on April 19 by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)," R- Sport cited Alexander Yaremen- ko, federation secretary-general, as saying. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko