Update 09 March
Two other of Maria Sharapova’s main sponsors have now exited their deals or suspended negotiation with the tennis star who faces a lengthy ban from the sport.
Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer and Porsche have joined Nike in distancing themselves from the star who earned a mouth watering $30 Million from endorsements and royalties last year alone. Evian and Avon Products have said they are monitoring the situation.
Even the manufacturer of the drug she was taking for ten years has damned her case by suggesting that the standard course of treatment is only four to six weeks and then for those with chronic heart conditions.
Support from the tennis and other communities flies in the face of growing public disdain for cheats. The fact that Sharapova was allowed to announce the drugs failure herself as opposed to this being done by the International Tennis Federation was strange in itself but the reaction from Tennis chief Steve Simon is also highly questionable stating that “Maria is a leader and has always been a woman of great integrity.”
Swedish athlete Abeba Aregawi is facing a similar inquest over use of the same drug but athletics authorities are talking about zero tolerance and how this is totally unacceptable.
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Maria Sharapova stunned the sporting world last night by revealing that she failed a doping test after her defeat to Serena Williams at the Australian Open tennis tournament in January.
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.
The drug she was found to have taken is called Meldonium which is manufactured in Latvia and commonly used for the treatment of Angina and heart related matters.
Sharapova claimed last night in a live streamed press conference that she has been taking this for ten years for ‘a medical condition’ and was unaware that it had been added to the World Anti Doping Agency list of proscribed medicine in January this year.
WADA themselves added it because it was being seen increasingly in tests, and that is also serves to increase metabolism and aid recovery from strenuous effort.
This is a serious blow to tennis following on from betting revelations that also came to light during the Australian Open.
Nike has already this morning suspended its multi million sponsorship of Sharapova and it is likely that other commercial partners, who include American Express, Porsche and Evian.
She has been central to the Women’s Tennis Association’s ongoing successful efforts to promote women’s tennis as can be seen from the advertising below.
It is sad that one of the areas in sport where there does appear to be genuine parity is in the willingness to take drugs that will improve performance or recovery.
Sharapova insist there are mitigating circumstances and has indicated she will be looking for a reduction in the length of a ban from the sport.
For the sport, herself, Russia and those who want to make it to the top of sport on effort and hard work without recourse to pharmaceuticals though today is not one to remember.
