MOSCOW (AP) — Olympic wrestling silver medalist Davit Modzmanashvili of Georgia has admitted to using meldonium, the same substance Maria Sharapova tested positive for at the Australian Open.
Vakhtang Blagidze, a Georgia national wrestling team coach, says Modzmanashvili tested positive for the drug last month. He faces a possible life ban for a second doping violation.
Another five members of the Georgian team tested positive for meldonium but their names have not been released because they deny the charge.
Modzmanashvili won the men’s 120-kilogram silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2012 Olympics. He also won world championship bronze in 2011.
The federation says that none of the six were confirmed to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, but that qualification was still possible.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less