Drug ruling leaves sports federations in a tizzy

NEW DELHI - The Indian sports federations, whose athletes tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexanamine, are caught in a cleft stick after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) moved the drug from the “non-specified” list to “specified.”

Eight of the 12 athletes, who tested positive, were part of the Commonwealth Games squad. Their respective federations, however, are in a fix as they have already announced the replacements.

While the wrestling federation is against recalling the tainted grapplers, the swimming and athletic bodies are reluctant to take a clear-cut call, not knowing what should be their stand with the New Delhi Games only 12 days away.

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) announced last month that the 12 athletes training for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games were tested positive, curiously for the same banned drug methylhexanamine, sending shock waves through the country’s sports fraternity. The drug was included in WADA’s list of banned substance this year.

Even before the disciplinary hearing of the aggrieved athletes Wednesday, WADA has come up with its ruling which will alter the punishment. The quantum of punishment in the specified list varies from a let off with a warning to a two-year ban whereas

the non specified list invites serious punishment beginning from a two-year ban.

If the athletes are left off with a warning, they will surely expect to be reinstated. What of the sportspersons who have replaced them? Worse, the tainted athletes were suspended by the federations.

Wrestling, the hardest hit, has as many as four of the six tainted grapplers in the Games team and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is unambiguous in stating that it will not include any of them even if they are let off with a warning.

“We cannot take chances with them. Once they have been caught, it means they are guilty. We will not include them in the Games squad,” Kartar Singh, WFI secretary, told IANS.

The Swimming Federation of India (SFI), whose two Games probables tested positive for methylhexanamine, is keeping its cards close to the chest.

“We will go by the WADA ruling. Usually in the case of a ban, the athletes have to go through a series of testing rounds after serving the ban period to be reinstated. Even if they are let off with a warning, the fact remains that they have been tested positive for a banned substance. We will be consulting WADA before taking any decision,” SFI secretary-general Virendra Nanavati told IANS.

India’s Commonwealth Games swimming coach Nihar Amin, however, admitted the situations is indeed messy.

“Well, you can’t deny that it is a messy situation. But we trust Mr. Nanavati, hopefully he will make the right decision,” Amin told IANS.

Athletic Federation of India (AFI) technical director M.L. Dogra also preferred to tread with caution. “We will wait for the hearing to get over and then only a decision will be taken.”

NADA is clear in its stand, that the athletes can represent the country in the Games once they are let off, but it is for the federations to decide their fate.

“If an athlete is let off, he is free to participate in any event. But it is for the federation to decide whether to pick him or not,” NADA director-general Rahul Bhatnagar told IANS.

WADA, while explaining their decision, said: “The stimulant methylhexaneamine (which may be described, like many other substances, by other chemical names) is now included in the prohibited list as a specified substance. This substance is often marketed as a nutritional supplement and may frequently be referred to as geranium oil or generanium root extract.”

Wrestlers Rajiv Tomar, Sumit, Mausam Khatri, Gursharanpreet Kaur, athletes Saurabh Vij and Akash Antil; swimmers Richa Mishra, Jyotsna Pansare.

The others who tested positive for methylhexanamine but were not part of Commonwealth Games squad were Rahul Mann and Joginder Singh (wrestling), Amar Muralidharan (swimming) and Sanamacha Chanu (weightlifting).

(Pragya Tiwari can be contacted at pragya.t@ians.in)