Abramova was provisionally suspended in February after it was revealed she had failed for the heart-attack drug.

She tested positive at an IBU World Cup event in Ruhpolding in Germany on January 10, just nine days a month after it was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list.

Following confusion surrounding meldonium, WADA were twice forced to clarify their stance earlier this year.

They stated that athletes who provided a urine sample which returned a positive test for the substance between January 1 and February 29 can be given a "no fault" verdict if their sample contained less than five micrograms of meldonium in June.

This marked an increase from the previous set of guidelines published by WADA, which stated if below one microgram of meldonium was detected and the failed test came before March 1, a negligence or no fault verdict could be reached.

Abramova’s sample, however, was found to have contained 7.3 micograms of meldonium and she has therefore been given a ban by the sport’s worldwide governing body.

The IBU confirmed she would be able to return to competition on February 4 as the time away from biathlon she has served as part of the provisional suspension has been included.

The decision from the IBU means the 27-year-old, born in Ulyanovsk Oblast and who originally competed for Russia before switching allegiance, will miss the vast majority of the World Cup campaign.

Abramova will be unable to compete at six of the nine events on the World Cup series, due to get underway with the opening event of the season in Östersund in Sweden on November 25.

She will, however, be eligible to take part at the 2017 IBU World Championships, due to take place in Hochfilzen in Austria, as her ban expires four days before the start of biathlon’s flagship event on February 8.

Abramova had originally claimed she was prescribed the substance by her doctor and she stopped using it three weeks before it was banned.

Her best performances were as members of Ukraine's relay team, third in World Cup races last season in Antholz and Hochfilzen last December.

"After evaluating all circumstances of the case and considering an expert opinion based on a WADA funded research, the Anti-Doping Hearing Panel on November, 14 2016 decided that due to the fact that Ms. Abramova used the prohibited substance non-intentionally and that exceptional circumstances in the form of no significant fault or negligence were present, she was declared ineligible to compete for a period of one year commencing on the date of the issuance of this decision (November, 14 2016)," an IBU statement read.

"The period of time elapsed since her provisional suspension (February 4, 2016), will be credited.

"She will therefore be eligible to start February, 4 2017."