Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Acting president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Vijay Kumar Malhotra Friday demanded a judicial enquiry into the doping case of six athletes and questioned the role of Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) coaches and trainers in the scandal that has shamed India.

Malhotra also said that the dope-tainted athletes won’t be spared.

“Some sportspersons have brought shame to the country and it is not acceptable. We want sports to be drug-free, India is a party to the International Charter on this issue. What the officials responsible for training and coaching of the sports persons in sports Authority of India centres were doing,” Malhotra said in a statement.

“What was shocking was that it was International agency (WADA) which first caught the tainted athletes. Only later our domestic agency NADA swung into action,” he added.

Malhotra said that SAI should come out with full facts on this “sordid issue” and what action it was proposing against its own officials who are responsible for running the camps.

Malhotra went on to add that there is an alleged nexus between the medicine (drug) suppliers, coaches, doctors, other officials along with involved sportspersons.

“IOA is not taking the issue lightly, nor it will sweep the matter under carpet because some potential medal winners are involved,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra said the IOA had to pay a huge fine to get the ban lifted on the weightlifters on the eve of Commonwealth Games.

“For long, Indian sports has suffered because of the emotional blackmail by the players and officials. If some sports persons and officials think that is the precedent, they are mistaken,” he said.

Six Indian athletes, including Sini Jose and Mandeep Kaur, who were part of the 4×400 metres relay team that won the gold medal in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, flunked dopes tests in the last two days.

Mandeep and another quarter-miler Juana Murmu were suspended by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Wednesday for failing an out-of-competition test by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mandeep tested positive for methandienone and stanozolol, while Juana consumed banned drug methandienone.

The others who flunked Thursday in tests conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) are Juana, a second-time offender, Jose, fellow-runner Tiana Mary Thomas, shot-putter Sonia and men’s long jumper Hari Krishnan Muralidharan.

Juana, Jose and Sonia tested positive for methandienone while Tiana consumed anabolic steroid epimethandiol during the National Inter-State Athletics Meet held in Bangalore earlier this month. Muralidharan also returned positive for methandienone in an out-of-competition test.