Maria Sharapova on provisional Russian roster for Olympics
Maria Sharapova is on the Russian team headed for the 2016 Summer Olympics. At least for now.
The Russian Tennis Federation has placed Sharapova on its preliminary roster pending the outcome of her doping case, the Tass news agency reports.
At present, the tennis star has been provisionally suspended for testing positive for meldonium, a heart medication that was recently added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.
There have been questions about the current testing and whether athletes who ingested the drug prior to its Jan. 1 ban might still test positive months later.
The Russians have expressed hope that Sharapova, who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics, will be cleared to resume playing in time for the Rio de Janeiro Games, which begin Aug. 5.
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david.wharton@latimes.com
Twitter: @LATimesWharton
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