Former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa also slams Indian Olympic Association for not obeying IOC diktat, says officials never care about athletes.
Yesteryear sprinter Ashwini Nachappa is one sportswoman who doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind. Be it controversies surrounding the Indian Olympic Association or long-jumper Anju Bobby George being upgraded from silver to gold in an event she took part in some years ago, Nachappa has a view on everything.
At a promotional event in the city, the athlete-turned-actress hailed George’s achievement at the 2005 Monaco World Athletics final. George had finished second only to Tatyana Kotova. However, a dope violation saw the Russian lose her gold medal. George was the obvious beneficiary.
“It may have taken eight years (for the truth to come out), but a gold medal is a gold medal,” Nachappa said on Wednesday.
“Anju was at the peak of her powers in 2005. When she won the silver medal, we were all very happy. We still cherish those moments. And now, we are happier because she has won the gold medal. Yes, it’s because of other reasons, but we are very proud of her. After all, the one who cheated has been caught.”
On Tuesday, the International Association of Athletics Federations announced that George has been upgraded to gold following Kotova’s dope violation. She was stripped of the medal after her sample was found to contain traces of a banned substance when it was tested again.
Nachappa, who heads Clean Sports India, also revealed that doping is prevalent in India. “I believe the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rampant even in our country. Yes, it’s prevalent even at the grassroots. This is such a dangerous trend. I am connected with athletics and when I attend various junior meets, it is actually quite frightening. You go to any national championships, you see syringes on the ground, in the toilets, etc.”
According to Nachappa, athletes, and even coaches, must be made aware of the dangers of doping. “I think we need to educate all parties at a broader scale. Apart from classroom learning, we need to teach the kids and their trainers about the ills of doping. Most kids don’t know what’s going into their system. They are not educated enough and believe whatever their the coaches tell them. You have got to be sensitive about these issues.”
Nachappa also hit out at the Indian Olympic Association for the current mess. It may be recalled that Indian athletes will be forced to take part in next month’s Winter Olympic Games in Sochi under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) flag. “The very fact that our Indian team is going to the Winter Olympics without sorting out these issues speaks volumes (of the mess). I would have hoped that they had their general assembly and adopted the constitution as per the IOC charter prior to the team’s departure. I wish our athletes could have taken part under the Indian flag. But they can’t, and it’s shame. IOA officials don’t care. They have always been insensitive towards athletes,” she rued.
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