"The conclusions [of the government] are preliminary as an additional investigation is needed into this particular substance. We will request the results of scientific research and surveys conducted by our colleagues from WADA through official channels," Dvorkovich told R-Sport.
The Russian official added that WADA’s decision to ban meldoniun was politically motivated to some extent.
"I think there is a political component but we have yet to find if it was predominant or a decision whether to ban one or another substance is based on scientific studies," he said.
On Monday, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who is a five-time Grand Slam champion, announced that she had tested positive for meldonium, which was added to the list of banned substances on January 1, 2016, by WADA. Later, the substance was also found in a blood test taken from Russian figure skater Ekaterina Bobrova and a number of other athletes, including Ukrainian biathlonists Olga Abramova and Artem Tishchenko.
Meldonium, also known as mildronate, was developed in Latvia in the 1970s as an anti-ischemia medication, as well as to help treat diabetes. A number of athletes confirmed they had been using the medication for health reasons long before it was banned.
