Maria Sharapova’s racket sponsor, Head, have provoked bewilderment on social media after celebrating the reduction of the tennis player’s doping ban from two years to 15 months on Twitter.
“Head wish to congratulate Maria Sharapova on the Cas ruling, and we welcome her return to competitive tennis in April 2017,” read the picture attached to a tweet with the hashtag #WeStoodWithMaria. “We are proud to have stood by Maria for the right reasons throughout these difficult times.”
They subsequently released a statement from their chief executive, Johan Eliasch, congratulating Sharapova on “justice being served” before pointing out they did not want to “detract from the fact she had been taking a legitimately prescribed medication the anti-doping agencies were aware of for 10 years”.
Head added: “It is wholly unfair Maria, an upstanding individual of the highest moral and ethical conduct, was banned from playing competitive tennis while not actively engaging in any behaviors [sic] that could be considered cheating.
“This calls into question the revelation about certain Olympic athletes who were granted therapeutic use exemptions for substances that could most certainly be considered performance enhancing.”
The former world No1 was banned for two years in June, backdated to January, for using meldonium, which the World Anti-Doping Authority banned on 16 September 2015 after finding “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance” by virtue of carrying more oxygen to muscle tissue.
Sharapova failed a drugs test at the Australian Open in January and claimed she had been taking the drug for 10 years because of a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes. She appealed against the length of her ban to the court of arbitration for sport but did not appeal against the guilty verdict.
Statement from HEAD CEO, Johan Eliasch on CAS ruling on Maria #Sharapova pic.twitter.com/1JyKjgVo9B
— HEAD Tennis (@head_tennis) October 4, 2016
The court did not agree with the level of the International Tennis Federation’s ban but stated: “Sharapova committed an anti-doping rule violation and that while it was with ‘no significant fault’, she bore some degree of fault.”
Twitter users were astonished at Head’s reaction to the news with one, @EnEngin14, saying: “You’re proud to defend a cheat. How very noble.”
Another, @JW_Davidson said: “Her ban has been reduced, guilt has been upheld. Why are you promoting drug abuse?”
Following Sharapova’s announcement of her failed drugs test in March 2016 Nike, her most high-profile corporate backer, were the first to announce they would be suspending their relationship. Tag Heuer, the Swiss luxury watchmaker that have had a relationship with Sharapova since 2004, said they had stopped negotiations with the player and Porsche, which signed a three-year-deal with Sharapova to become their first female ambassador in 2013, also said they would be suspending promotional work with her. Head, however, extended their deal in March, saying she was “a role model and woman of integrity”.
