Maria Sharapova stunned the sporting world earlier this year by revealing that she failed a doping test after her defeat to Serena Williams at the Australian Open tennis tournament in January.
Yesterday she was handed down a two year ban from the sport but with very mixed messages about culpability and whether she had knowingly cheated or been innocently wronged on a technicality.
The concluding paragraph of the report reads as follows:
Earlier in the report Sharapova was revealed to have taken microdoses of the subsequently banned substance before matches but to have doubled the dose before matches of ‘special importance’. That hardly indicates the medical need for which the drug was originally supposed to have been prescribed.
Other evidence revealed that she was taking up to 30 different substances, all legitimate at the time in 2012, for ‘viral’ conditions.
The International Tennis Federation had applied for a maximum four year ban and two years does hold out the prospect of a return to the sport. She is also reported to be appealing the decision and it was that which prompted Nike, who in March suspended their $70 Million endorsement deal, to issue the statement late last night.
“The ITF Tribunal has found that Maria did not intentionally break its rules. Maria has always made her position clear, has apologised for her mistake and is now appealing the length of the ban. Based on the decision of the ITF and their factual findings, we hope to see Maria back on court and will continue to partner with her.”
So with sponsors back on board and tennis players still standing by her it appears that Sharapova’s reputation may yet survive.
It is in the public eye that this is decided rather than meeting rooms and marketing departments.
Last night Sport for Business ran a survey on twitter which split 60/40 against her.
Sharapova has been the highest earning female athlete across all sports in each of the last eleven years, with her tennis earnings alone exceeding €30 million.
