Who says Maria Sharapova no longer has any influence?
The Russian tennis start's positive drug test for meldonium has sparked a minor revolution in drug education in New Zealand, according to Reuters.
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"It is sad that a famous athlete has been caught out in this way, but the good outcome for us is that it has helped get our message across to athletes that they need to check all medications and supplements carefully," Drug Free Sports New Zealand (DFSNZ) Chief Executive Graeme Steel said on Monday.
Reuters reported that the number of questions about medications to the DFSNZ, the country's entity in charge of implementing the World Anti-Doping code, skyrocketed after Sharapova's announcement early last month.
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"DFSNZ said in the two weeks prior to Sharapova's announcement they had received 961 queries about medication and another 339 about supplements through the website.
"In the two weeks after the announcement, those figures had more than doubled to 1,982 queries about medication and 581 for supplements."
The number of texts and emails also increased more than five times per day -- from three or four to more than 20, Reuters added.
"We've invested a lot of resources into ensuring that our athletes, parents and support personnel here in New Zealand have access to the most up-to-date information on banned substances and supplements," Steel added.
Sharapova was suspended March 12 for using meldonium, for which she tested positive at the Australian Open in January. The Russian tennis federation head, Shamil Tarpishchev said he believes the International Tennis Federation will hand down a ruling in June.
Sharapova has not played since the Australian Open, but that was because of a strained forearm injury. She revealed that she tested positive for the drug on March 7.
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