Athletes caught using meldonium could avoid a ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has admitted there is no consensus on how long the body takes to excrete the drug. WADA announced it was adding the heart disease medicine to its banned list in September, with the rule coming into force on 1 January, and there have been more than 120 positive tests since then. Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was the first high-profile athlete to test positive for the Latvian-made drug (in a test taken at the end of January) but since then leading Russian athletes from boxing, skating, swimming and winter sports have all failed tests.