Famed tennis player Maria Sharapova was recently suspended by the United Nations as a goodwill ambassador after she admitted to failing a drug test for Meldonium at the Australian Open in January. Now, the five-time Grand Slam winner will stop working with the United Nations agency until the tennis star’s doping case has been clarified.
The substance known as Meldonium is supposed for heart issues as it improves blood flow but due to recent positive tests on many athletes for the drug the World Anti-Doping Agency decided to ban the substance this year. Sharapova mostly worked with the UN in a program focused on eradicating poverty for almost 10 years before she was dismissed as a goodwill ambassador.
Her work with the United Nations aimed mainly at helping victims of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Sharapova also donated $100,000 to young survivors of the nuclear accident, as the tennis player herself had lived 80 miles north of Chernobyl and her family was forced to leave due to fears over radiation hazards.
The recent statement released by the UN where Sharapova is dismissed as a goodwill ambassador declares that the activities planned for the program will carry one and wishes Ms. Sharapova the best, according to Reuters. Famed tennis player Maria Sharapova allegedly first consumed the substance 10 years ago and although she credits the drug use to several health issues going on the tennis player’s life at the time, it doesn’t justify a prolonged use of the substance.
The costs of Sharapova’s honesty
Sharapova’s honesty has taken away not only her brand giant sponsors but also the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), for which she had become a goodwill ambassador in February 2007.
“The UNDP remains grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support of our work, especially around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery,” said the statement released by the UN on Sharapova’s suspension.
The Latvian drug manufacturing company said past month that the medicine treatment can go from 4 to 6 weeks in order for the drug to do its job, but Sharapova claimed to use the drug for over 10 years at a press conference held on February in Los Angeles.
The substance known as Meldonium is supposed for heart issues as it improves blood flow but due to recent positive tests on many athletes for the drug the World Anti-Doping Agency decided to ban the substance this year. Now, Sharapova faces a ban for up to four years pending the outcome of the current investigation taken by the International Tennis Federation.
Source: Reuters