Cheat’s charter

MARIA SHARAPOVA claimed to be fighting to expose the truth around her positive test for meldonium as she prepares to return to tennis on April 26.

In common with most drug cheats, this ‘truth’ will be whatever is needed to get her off the hook. But it wasn’t so much what she said, but where she said it. At the ANA Inspiring Women in Sports conference in California. Sharapova was among eight speakers, including Billie Jean King and United States Olympic gymnastics captain Aly Raisman.

Who would book a drugs cheat as an inspiring woman? Probably the same company that in a 294-word profile of Sharapova on the conference website found room to mention her sweets, her finances, her charity work, her skincare products, her Facebook following, her Twitter account, her Instagram numbers — but not the fact that the reason she has time to do a turn on the ANA podium is that she is banned from tennis for taking drugs. If you feel inspired to choose another airline in future, that would be entirely understandable.