Water polo: Russian Bugaychuk tests positive for meldonium

Russian water polo player Alexei Bugaychuk has tested positive for the banned drug meldonium, the country's water polo federation said Wednesday.

"The sample Bugaychuk gave at the European championship in January showed traces of meldonium," federation spokeswoman Viktoria Kirina told AFP.

"The federation is conducting an internal investigation into the case."

Bugaychuk admitted to having taken meldonium last year, before the drug landed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list on January 1.

Meldonium was propelled into the headlines earlier this month after Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova announced she had tested positive for the drug at the Australian Open in January.

Since then, a string of Russian athletes, including Olympic swimmer Yulia Efimova, have admitted to testing positive for the drug.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said last week that 27 of the country's athletes had tested positive for meldonium since the endurance-boosting substance was banned.

Russia's scandal-ridden athletics federation -- suspended in November after a WADA independent commission found evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russian track and field -- announced four meldonium cases among its athletes earlier this month.

Moscow has vowed to reform its anti-doping programme in time for its track and field stars to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

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