Povetkin: They made meldonium forbidden because Russian athletes used it

Former heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin of Russia shared his thoughts on doping tests and meldonium.

“What happened blew my career off. All the dirt is unnecessary and wrong. In fact, the first one was because of meldonium. They found it in my doping tests, some nanograms. Time passes, but meldonium had prolonged withdrawal from the body,” said Povetkin.

“We used meldonium when it was not forbidden. He added neither energy nor stamina. It was specifically banned because they knew that the Russian guys used it to take the load off their hearts.

“Then there was the ostarin. It helps to gain muscle mass. It is an old drug, which needs about a year to be displayed. And my doping tests were clean twice, but before the battle it showed some nanogram. I passed the tests by an independent company, they were clean, but everyone didn’t care,” Povetkin said in an interview to Octagon TV.