A Russian company selling sweets are throwing their support behind recently suspended tennis player Maria Sharapova by releasing a lollipop bearing her likeness. Rubiscookies, based in St Petersburg, unveiled the “Sharapova lollipop” that bears the tennis player’s face after she had announced she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid reported.
“We have always been inspired by Maria Sharapova as an athlete and a public figure, and do not doubt for a second her talent and capabilities,” a Rubiscookies spokesperson said in a statement.
“So we are not going to wait for the situation to be resolved. We want to support Maria in the only way we know, by releasing a collector's edition lollipop with her face. It is made of sugar, with no meldonium at all.”
The lollipop comes with a ticket bearing a photo of Sharapova and the slogan: “100% Sharapova; no meldonium”. If an ongoing investigation finds Sharapova guilty, she faces a ban of up to four years.
