Share

Ex-WADA chief questions Sharapova praise

London - Praising Maria Sharapova for honesty after she admitted to a doping offence creates a misleading impression, former World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound told AFP on Wednesday.

Tennis superstar Sharapova, 28, risks a four-year ban and has lost a slew of big-name sponsors after admitting on Monday that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open.

Rivals including Serena Williams praised her for coming clean about her use of Meldonium, which was added to WADA's list of banned substances on January 1, but Pound said that it was wrong to depict the Russian's announcement as some kind of mea culpa.

"If it had been a spontaneous acknowledgement that she had taken this stuff and somehow didn't realise it was a banned substance (you could praise her honesty), but she got caught," he told AFP during an interview at the Tackling Doping in Sport Conference in London.

"She tested positive. She's advised of a positive (test) outcome. There's a protection for athletes in the system -- if you think it's a bad analysis, you can analyse the B sample.

"She said, 'No, not necessary. I acknowledge that I've taken it.' So you've been caught and then you're saying, 'Well, it was a good cop.'"

Sharapova's major sponsors Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche have all distanced themselves from her since her announcement.

But American skincare firm Supergoop, of which Sharapova is co-owner, said on Wednesday that it will "continue to support her as the ITF (International Tennis Federation) investigation unfolds".

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE