The inevitable news broke fast – Porsche suspends Maria Sharapova Ambassadorship with the German car company – which was announced after Russian tennis star Sharapova admitted to failing a drug test.
Sharapova, 28, held a press conference on Monday to get out in front of the inescapable, career-endangering newsflash on her test results that was about to break. She confessed to taking the doctor-prescribed drug Meldonium for the past 10 years.
Sharapova went on to explain that she was using the drug in connection with her magnesium deficiency and history of diabetes that runs in her family. She insisted that she did not know Meldonium was prohibited.
It turns out that Meldonium was placed on the list of prohibited drugs only on January 1 of this year. So when she took a routine drug test for the Australian Open later in January, Sharapova tested positive for the just-banned drug. It is produced in Latvia and used in many of the former Soviet Bloc countries.
The medication has been touted as an aid in the treatment of heart ailments, such as myocardial infarction and angina, and in the enhancement of cardiovascular circulation. Nevertheless, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) placed the ban on Meldonium. WADA took this measure because of the drug’s alleged widespread use by Eastern European and Russian athletes to enhance performance, endurance and recuperation.
Thus, pending further investigation, the International Tennis Federation intends to suspend Sharapova as of March 12. The suspension also excludes her from competing in the Australian Open and in the carmaker’s sponsored Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this April in Stuttgart at the Porsche Arena.
In a prepared statement, a Porsche spokesperson said, “We regret the current news about Maria Sharapova. Until further details emerge and we are able to analyze the situation, we have decided to suspend planned activities.”
In 2013, Porsche named Sharapova as Brand Ambassador for the company in large part because of her status as one of the top-ranked female tennis players worldwide. She has won multiple Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon in 2004, her first such title.
Also suspending relations with Sharapova are sportswear company Nike – which holds a $70 million contract with Maria – and watchmaker TAG Heuer, which announced that it would not renew her recently expired contract.