(Reuters) - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday they have recorded 99 positive tests for the recently-banned drug at the center of the case involving five-times grand slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova.
WADA did not name the athletes who tested positive for meldonium, which has been have linked to increased athletic performance, but said they came from different sports and were reported by many national anti-doping organizations.
"We can confirm that since 1 January 2016 when the substance Meldonium became banned, there have been 99 adverse analytical findings for Meldonium recorded," WADA spokesman Ben Nichols said in an email to Reuters.