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ITF hit back at Sharapova
- Updated: October 6, 2016
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has defended its handling of Maria Sharapova’s drugs ban for meldonium.
The administrator of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme denied it had sought a four-year ban for the former world No 1 and, in a statement, rejected suggestions by the Russian that its independent tribunal was “not neutral”.
The ITF also emphasised it had not known, prior to this year when the drug was put on the banned list, that meldonium was in common use by eastern European athletes.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to return to action in April after her two-year suspension was reduced to 15 months on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old said then that other sports federations had been more effective at communicating with athletes and hoped the ITF would take note.
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