March 11--Maria Sharapova isn't the only one who has been caught taking meldonium.
In the two months since the drug was added to the international banned list on Jan. 1, the number of athletes testing positive has grown rapidly.
"There have been 99 adverse analytical findings for meldonium recorded," said Ben Nichols, a spokesman for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The drug, which is not approved for medical use in the U.S. or much of Europe, was designed to increase blood flow and has been used for treatment of heart ailments. That also would make it beneficial to athletes as a performance enhancer.
A significant number of the positive tests in recent weeks have involved Russian athletes, and on Friday, a sports official from that country asked WADA to reconsider the ban, according to the TASS news agency.
Sharapova has acknowledged taking meldonium since 2006.
Others who have tested positive include Semion Elistratov, an Olympic champion in short-track speedskating from Russia; Davit Modzmanashvili, a silver medalist wrestler from Georgia; and Abeba Aregawi, a world champion 1,500-meter runner from Sweden.
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