Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova may still represent her country in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro if Russia had its way.
This was according to an AP report that Sharapova "is still in its plans." The Russian star tested positive for melodnium, a substance that was banned just this 2016. She is now on "provisional suspension."
Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev mentioned in the official statement: "We really hope that Sharapova will still be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games."
The International Tennis Federations has yet to schedule a hearing for Sharapova's case.
Meanwhile, a ray of hope appeared for Russia's cause as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that it has new guidelines for athletes who tested positive for the melodnium, according to a report from Reuters via The Independent.
The statement from WADA mentioned: "In the case of meldonium, there is currently a lack of clear scientific information on excretion times."
"For this reason, a hearing panel might justifiably find (unless there is specific evidence to the contrary) that an athlete who has established on the balance of probabilities that he or she ingested meldonium before 1 January 2016 could not reasonably have known or suspected that the meldonium would still be present in his or her body on or after 1 January 2016.
"In these circumstances, WADA considers that there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete."
This was welcomed by the Russian Sports Ministry, as they welcomed WADA's effort to try and understand the situation. They also laud how they sought to study just how long it would take to eliminate the substance from the body.
If it is proven that the substance found was ingested before January 1, 2016 (when the ban was implemented) then the athlete could be absolved, as WADA explained the terms:
"If the amount of meldonium detected was less than one microgram per millilitre, athletes could be cleared of blame, while the same applies if the sample was taken before March 1 and the concentration was between one and 15 micrograms."
The downside for Russia is that the new guidelines may not affect Sharapova because she has admitted being unaware that melodnium was already banned-which meant that she was probably taking it even after the ban was implemented.