MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Twenty-seven Russian athletes have tested positive for the recently banned substance known as meldonium, a figure on a par with athletes in other countries, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Friday.
"If you take a quantitative indicator, it is the same number of anti-doping laws violations as in other countries at around 200 per year. At the moment there are 27 people with meldonium and somewhere around 127 people worldwide," Mutko told R-Sport.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) placed meldonium, an anti-ischemic medication, on its list of banned substances on January 1 citing evidence it was being used to enhance performance.
Meldonium is a Latvian-made drug used in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to treat heart conditions, diabetes and other ailments.
WADA classifies the substance a metabolic modulator that increases athletes' endurance and shortens post-exercise rehabilitation time, as well as enhances the activation of the central nervous system.
