‘Lifters targeted unfairly by NADA’

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, December 12

It seems the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has decided to target big names in Indian Olympics sports. NADA’s doping control officers (DCOs) have descended twice on the weightlifting team on two successive days to collect their samples.

At a time when it has been criticised for not sending DCOs to numerous national championships, NADA’s zeal against its premier lifters has ruffled the feathers of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF). 

NADA did not send its representatives to the National Open Athletics Championship held in Chennai, and its DCOs showed up only on the last day at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Vijayawada. Also, no dope samples were collected during the Shotgun Shooting Nationals held in Delhi last month.

Targeted?

IWF says its athletes, including new world champion Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, are being unnecessarily targeted. Chanu, who became the world champion in the 48kg category in Anaheim, USA, late last month, and three other weightlifters were asked to provide their samples twice in two days. Apart from Chanu, Sathish Sivalingam, Punam Yadav and RV Rahul gave their samples on November 10 in Patiala and then the next day in Kapurthala, where the Inter-Railways meet is being held.

IWF secretary general Sahdev Yadav said it seems that NADA is “punishing the lifters who have performed well”. “By rule it is allowed. No one should have problems when it comes to submission of samples. But for them to collect samples from the same set twice in two days is an issue for some of us,” Yadav told The Tribune. “I mean, what are they trying to do? Are they punishing our athletes for performing well at the World Championships, where by the way they had submitted their blood and urine samples twice already? What do you think Mirabai would be thinking now?” he added. NADA director general Navin Agarwal was unavailable for comment.

Chief coach Vijay Sharma said he had to counsel Chanu. “Obviously she felt that she was being targeted. I counselled her to not to take it that way, it is part of our rules and so has to be done. My only issue here is that they could have sent the same team to some other place for sample collection (of other athletes). Testing the same people twice in two days is a waste of money, in my eyes,” Sharma said.  

More stringent rules

Meanwhile, IWF has issued fresh instructions to its coaching staff to take extra caution with the weightlifters. A day after the team landed in New Delhi after participating at the World Championships, IWF president BP Baishya told chief coach Sharma to watch out for sabotage.

“I have been told to be extra vigilant when it comes to our athletes. Especially if someone makes an adulteration attempt. We have been trying very hard to control the dope menace. We can’t take any chances,” Sharma said. “We also have to monitor the movement of outsiders near our hostel areas.”

As an added precaution, IWF has been importing nutrition supplements for the weightlifters on its own, buying directly from a German company, Koncept. All the lifters have been barred from procuring nutrition supplements from the open market.