Maria Sharapova to appeal drugs ban
Wed Jun 15, 2016 03:25:pm Sports
1.9K By sosa hills
Maria Sharapova has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) after being banned from tennis for two years for failing a drugs test.
The ban was announced by the International Tennis Federation last week.
"In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the Tribunal's decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation," CAS said in a statement, adding that a decision would be made by July 18 at the latest.
"Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced."
If her appeal is unsuccessful the five-time major champion will miss the Olympic Games in Rio in August while the earliest major she could next enter is the French Open in 2018.
Sharapova blasted the ban as "unfairly harsh" in a statement on her Facebook page.
"While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," said Sharapova.
In early March, Sharapova announced that she had tested positive for Meldonium, a heart disease drug, at the Australian Open. She was provisionally suspended from all tennis-related activities until the International Tennis Federation's anti-doping body determined that a two-year ban was appropriate.
Meldonium was added to the world anti-doping WADA list on January 1. Sharapova said she had been taking it for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency.
AFP
The ban was announced by the International Tennis Federation last week.
"In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the Tribunal's decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation," CAS said in a statement, adding that a decision would be made by July 18 at the latest.
"Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced."
If her appeal is unsuccessful the five-time major champion will miss the Olympic Games in Rio in August while the earliest major she could next enter is the French Open in 2018.
Sharapova blasted the ban as "unfairly harsh" in a statement on her Facebook page.
"While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," said Sharapova.
In early March, Sharapova announced that she had tested positive for Meldonium, a heart disease drug, at the Australian Open. She was provisionally suspended from all tennis-related activities until the International Tennis Federation's anti-doping body determined that a two-year ban was appropriate.
Meldonium was added to the world anti-doping WADA list on January 1. Sharapova said she had been taking it for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency.
AFP
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