Maria Sharapova’s ban reduced to 15 months – essentiallysports.com

Today, Sharapova’s two-year doping ban was reduced to 15 months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Maria Sharapova was tested positive for Meldonium, at the Australian Open in January this year. The drug was outlawed by WADA with effect from January 1, after they found out that in some capacities, the drug might be used by athletes for performance enhancing. Since then she had been provisionally banned, and on 8th June 2016 it was declared that she would be banned for two years backdated to 26 January 2016.

Sharapova admitted the use of drug for a decade for medical purposes and was unaware that it had been banned from 2016, as she knew it by another name – Mildronate.

Maria Sharapova has updated about the same on her official Facebook page. The Russian will be able to return to the tennis court on 26 April, 2017.

The CAS panel said it found Sharapova’s case “was not about an athlete who cheated”, but added she “bore significant fault for her violation”.