The dance of the doping is still here ...

Tennis Olympic champion Maria Sharapova announced that she failed a drug test at this year’s Australian Open for a medication she had been taking for 10 years that was recently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The drug, meldonium, was added to the banned list in September, and went into effect on January 1. Sharapova said she was notified via email in December that WADA’s antidoping policies had been updated, but didn't check to see what new substances were included. She took full responsibility for having the drug in her system and apologized for letting down her fans and the sport.

The International Tennis Federation said in a statement that Sharapova would be provisionally suspended from competition on March 12, pending a full determination of her case. Sharapova said she had been taking meldonium since 2006, on the advice of her family doctor. Sharapova is one of the highest paid female athletes with earnings of over $30m last year from winnings and endorsements.