by Our Sports Desk

MARIA SHARAPOVA’S lawyer slammed yesterday the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada’s) handling of the meldonium ban.

Wada has given a potential lifeline to athletes who have tested positive for the cardiac drug after admitting it is not clear how long it takes to leave the body.

Meldonium was added to the banned list at the start of 2016 and so far 172 sportspeople have failed tests for it.

Studies are currently being conducted into how quickly the drug clears the body and Wada has issued new guidelines which could see some athletes cleared.

Early results of those studies suggest it could hang around for several months after being taken.

Tennis star Sharapova is the highest-profile athlete to have tested positive and is provisionally suspended before a hearing on her fate.

But as she previously admitted that she didn’t know the drug was on the banned list, it’s not clear if Wada’s latest announcement helps her at all.

Still, her lawyer John Haggerty took the chance to lay into anti-doping officials. “The fact that Wada felt compelled to issue this unusual statement now is proof of how poorly they handled issues relating to meldonium in 2015,” he charged.

“Given the fact that scores of athletes have tested positive for taking what previously was a legal product, it’s clear Wada did not handle this properly last year and they’re trying to make up for it now.

“The notice underscores why so many legitimate questions have been raised concerning Wada’s process in banning meldonium as well as the manner in which they notified players.

“This notice should have been widely distributed in 2015, when it would have made a difference in the lives of many athletes.”

Russian swimmer Yuliya Efimova, Swedish runner Abeba Aregawi and Russian Olympic speed-skating champion Semion Elistratov are among the other athletes to have failed tests.