April 09, 2016 – Russian cross-country skier Kirill Vichuzhanin, 23, has tested positive for meldonium amidst controversy as the athlete claims he took the substance prior to it being classified as a banned substance reports AFP. Adding to the issues is how long meldonium can remain in the body.

According to Russian News Agency,TASS, the skier’s father and personal coach Petr Vichizhanin confirms that his son took the medication in 2015 on doctors’ orders. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) put meldonium on its prohibited list on January 1, 2016.

Top Russian skier Alexander Legkov also admits to taking meldonium, but says he did not take it for long and does not remember the last time he took it according to a report in Sport Express, a Russian publication. Legkov went on to say that he does not think taking meldonium constitutes doping. “This is complete nonsense and a political game. I am genuinely sorry for athletes who are on it, and were so to speak, stung.”  Legkov, 32, is a big name in cross-country skiing, holding five World Cup victories including one Tour de Ski title.

More Russians have used meldonium such as tennis star Maria Sharapova who announced on March 7 that she had tested positive for the drug at the Australian Open. Meanwhile AFP reports that Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko admitted that some 40 other Russian athletes have recently tested positive for meldonium.

Other athletes who have tested positive include Swedish Ethiopian-born middle-distance runner Abeba Aregawi, Ethiopian long-distance runner Endeshaw Negesse, Russian cyclist Eduard Vorganov, and Ukrainian biathletes Olga Abramova and Artem Tyshchenko according to Wikipedia.

Meldonium (trade name: Mildronate) is primarily produced by Latvian-based pharmaceutical company Grindeks which claims that traces of the drug can remain in the body for several months after it is taken. The medication is indicated for treatment of angina and other heart conditions.

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