Follow Us
Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 14
Shot-putter Inderjeet Singh’s four-year ban has been set aside by the Anti-Doping Appeals Panel (ADAP). Chaired by Vibha Dutt Makhija and also including Dr Harsh Mahajan and Vinay Lamba, ADAP overturned the ban, citing NADA’s anti-doing rule 7.2.3. This rule refers to “departure from the International Standard for Testing and Investigations”.
Inderjeet’s counsel Anish Dayal had argued that there was a series of lapses by the dope control officer (DCO) in the sample collected on June 22, 2016. Singh was served with the provisional suspension after presence of exogenous anabolic steroid was detected from this sample.
Dayal convinced the panel that international standards were not met by the DCO. He argued that the DCO did not furnish a partial kit, which as per him was mandatory for taking samples. The panel also did not like the fact that the DCO after collecting the sample had preserved the sample in his fridge, raising doubts that the sample could have been tampered with.
Another sticking point was the loss in quantity in Inderjeet’s second sample that was collected in during the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Hyderabad on June 29, 2016.
The panel also did not like the way the ‘B’ sample was tested. Inderjeet wanted the ‘B’ sample tested in a different lab and had sought permission from the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) for the same, but National Dope Testing Laboratory went ahead with the test.
All these departures created significant doubts and the panel set aside the ban.
Apart from the verdict, the panel had a few suggestions for the National Anti-Doping Agency in order to make it more efficient and transparent:
3
9