Valentina Gomez | On 08, Apr 2016

Within the last 6 months, multiple athletes from all around the world have tested positive for doping substances by the Olympic committee.

Russia’s Olympic committee has been hit the hardest. Olympic tennis medalist Maria Sharapova recently tested positive for the use of meldonium, a medication that increases blood flow and improves performance, which she claims she has been taking for years due to a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes. Meldonium is not approved for use in the USA and is only distributed in Baltic countries and Russia.

It is from this very same substance that Abebe Aregawi, a Swedish runner who won the 1,500m at the 2013 world championships, has tested positive, as well as Russian ice dancer Ekaterina Bobrova. Bobrova has taken full responsibility for taking this medication with the sole purpose of becoming a better ice dancer.

This Latvian drug has shown up in the samples of over 15 athletes. The Russian Olympic Team is in danger of missing this summer’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.