UN suspends Sharapova as goodwill ambassador
UN agency cuts ties with tennis player over failed drugs test
GENEVA
Tennis player Maria Sharapova was suspended as a UN goodwill ambassador Tuesday following her failed drugs test.
A UN Development Program official told Anadolu Agency it had suspended its relationship with the Russian after she admitted testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.
Sharapova, 28, made the announcement in Los Angeles last week and said she had been taking meldonium for health reasons for ten years. The drug was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances on Jan. 1.
The former world No. 1 was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation from March 12. Sponsors including Nike, Porsche and Tag Heuer have cut their links to the player in the wake of the scandal.
She has been an ambassador for the UN agency, which works to combat global poverty and inequality, since 2007.
During her career, Sharapova has become the world’s highest-paid female athlete and won all four Grand Slam tournaments.
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