Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/652704
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 53 MARIA Sharapova has denied she missed five warnings that meldonium was becoming a banned drug before testing posi- tive for it at the Australian Open. The Russian said in a lengthy Facebook post she was "deter- mined to fight back" against what she deemed misreporting of the facts of the case. The International Tennis Fed- eration and WTA alerted play- ers five times in December to the banned list for 2016. In her dramatic press confer- ence last Monday, Sharapova only mentioned failing to click on a link on an email linking to the documents on December 22. And she insisted the other missed opportunities were not ones she could necessarily have been expected to take, posting a picture of a complicated "wallet card" detailing banned substanc- es. The 28-year-old wrote: "This document had thousands of words on it, many of them techni- cal, in small print. Should I have studied it? Yes. But if you saw this document, you would know what I mean. "I make no excuses for not knowing about the ban. I already told you about the December 22, 2015 email I received. Its subject line was 'Main Changes to the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme for 2016'. I should have paid more attention to it. "But the other 'communica- tions'? They were buried in news- letters, websites, or handouts." As an example, Sharapova cited an email on December 18 that would have required click- ing through a number of links to find the information. However, this email was not one of the five warnings cited by the ITF and WTA. Sharapova, who knew the drug as mildronate, also addressed comments from the manufactur- er that it was only designed to be taken in courses of between four and six weeks. That has been cited by some as suspicious given the Russian said she had been taking it, as pre- scribed by her doctor, for 10 years. But she indicated she had only used it intermittently, in line with the manufacturer's guidelines, saying: "I didn't take the medi- cine every day. I took it the way my doctor recommended I take it and I took it in the low doses rec- ommended." Sharapova will have a chance to put her case forward at a pre- liminary hearing later this month before an independent tribunal hears the case and decides on possible sanctions. The Russian added: "I'm proud of how I have played the game. I have been honest and up front. I won't pretend to be injured so I can hide the truth about my test- ing. "I look forward to the ITF hear- ing at which time they will receive my detailed medical records. I hope I will be allowed to play again. But no matter what, I want you, my fans, to know the truth and have the facts." Sharapova's message came on the same day the World Anti- Doping Agency confirmed there have been 99 positive tests for meldonium since the drug was added to its banned list in Janu- ary. Sharapova again received sup- port from the chairman and chief executive of her racket sponsor, Head, who issued a statement backing the athlete and criticis- ing WADA for black-listing the substance. Johan Eliasch said WADA should have continued to allow some usage of the drug on medi- cal grounds. Despite a number of her spon- sors, including Nike and Por- sche, distancing themselves from Sharapova, Head issued a bullish statement on Thursday offering the player its full support and a contract extension. And Eliasch went a step further on Friday with a second, strongly- worded statement in which he de- nied any "evidence or intent" by the player to gain a competitive advantage by using meldonium. Eliasch said: "We question WA- DA's decision to add meldonium to its banned substances list in the manner it did; we believe the correct action by WADA would have been to impose a dosage limitation only. "In the circumstances we would encourage WADA to release sci- entific studies which validates their claim that meldonium should be a banned substance." WADA responded by intimat- ing it believed Eliasch's response to be "inappropriate", adding it would only review decisions after the respective governing bodies and national anti-doping agencies had issued their full rulings. In a statement the organisation said: "WADA believes it is inap- propriate for the agency [WADA], and indeed any other parties, to comment on the specifics of any of the meldonium cases until the International Federations or National Anti-Doping Agencies in charge with the result man- agement of the cases have issued their decisions. "At that time, and not before, WADA will review the cases in full, the reasons for the decision, and subsequently decide whether or not to lodge its independent right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). "The List is updated annu- ally and with a full and thorough consultation period with experts and stakeholders. A substance or method may be added to the list of it meets two of the following three criteria: enhances perfor- mance; detrimental to the health of the athlete; contrary to the spirit of sport." Sports TENNIS Friday, April 1 st 2016 Divine Mercy Sanctuary, San Pawl tat-Tarġa 7.30pm €15/€20/€25/€30 (Drinks will follow at the venue) Seats may be booked directly via www. cketline.com.mt or via one of these communica on channels The Archbishop's Seminary - Il-Mixtla www.seminary.org.mt 2145 5497 / 7964 9785 / 9982 9105 events@seminary.org.mt i Mercy Celebrating the Jubilee Of Mercy Concert in aid of the Archbishop's Seminary a concert by the S P C S D H A M with the participation of Soprano Baritone R B and C B and organist Elisabeth Conrad Celebrating Celebrating Venus makes early exit, dominant Serena advances SERENA Williams progressed with an easy 6-2 6-1 win over qualifier Laura Siegemund of Ger- many but her sister Venus lost 6-4 6-3 to Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara. Venus was making her first ap- pearance since the controversial incidents of 2001, when her, Ser- ena and their father Richard were subjected to boos and heckles from the crowd during both the semi-final and the final. The Williams sisters were due to clash in the semis but Venus was forced to withdraw with a knee injury, and Richard has since claimed he and his daughters were subjected to racist abuse. Venus received a standing ova- tion from the California crowd this time but suffered throughout a second-round match riddled with errors. The tenth-seed blast- ed three aces but then made four double faults and won just four of her 12 break points. But she said: "It's been a wonder- ful moment. Everyone could have picked up where they left off but they were welcoming. "It is time to move on and let the past be the past. When I was out there I didn't think back. It was a long time ago," Serena, who ended her 14-year boycott of the joint WTA and ATP Tour event last year, will face unseeded Yulia Putintseva of Ka- zakhstan in the next round. She said: "The key was my inten- sity. She was close to breaking me at one point and I knew if I didn't give 100 per cent at that point it was going to be a long night." Sharapova denies missing warnings Serena Williams beat Laura Siegemund of Germany to reach round three Maria Sharapova speaks to the media announcing a failed drug test after the Australian Open during a press conference