Maria Sharapova to miss Rio Olympics after postponement of her doping appeal
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has deferred its decision on the Russian tennis player's plea against her two-year suspension to September.
Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova will miss the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as her appeal against her doping suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was postponed to September.
CAS said in a statement that Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation had agreed to defer its decision to September, AFP reported. "Due to the parties requiring additional time to complete and respond to their respective evidentiary submissions and several scheduling conflicts, the parties have agreed to not expedite the appeal. A decision is expected to be issued by September 19," the statement read.
This means that the former World No 1 will not participate in the Olympics, which begins on August 5. The international tennis body had handed the 29-year-old a two-year suspension in June for testing positive for banned substance meldonium. Sharapova had appealed to the CAS against the order.