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Yuri Ogorodonik set to return despite 'ill health'

The confusion regarding the return of Ukrainian veteran track and field coach Yuri Ogorodonik, who was sacked by the government after the doping scandal in 2011, has more or less been sorted out after the Sports ministry decided to hire him, but with pre conditions.

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The confusion regarding the return of Ukrainian veteran track and field coach Yuri Ogorodonik, who was sacked by the government after the doping scandal in 2011, has more or less been sorted out after the Sports ministry decided to hire him, but with pre conditions.

dna has reliably learnt that the issue of hiring 78-year-old coach had nearly created a rift between the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and the Sports ministry. The ministry had came out with a circular recently clarifying that "no person above the age of 70 shall be hired by any federation".

Ogorodonik suffers from heart ailments and sports minister had reportedly raised a few questions over this decision. But when AFI again pressed for the Ukrainian on the ground that "he is the best coach available to train the Indian relay teams", the ministry finally gave its nod albeit with pre conditions that "in case of any health related issue, it would be dealt between AFI and the coach".

Ogorodonik is likely to return to India any time soon. But the hiring authority, Sports Authority of India (SAI), has yet to get any official communication from the ministry.

Only few days back, citing Ogorodonik's ill-health, ministry rejected the AFI's demand for contracting the coach till 2016 Rio Olympics (a term of one year).

Ogorodonik had to go home after his name figured in July 2011 dope scandal when six top Indian athletes, including 2010 Commonwealth and Asian Games 4x400m relay gold-winning team members Ashwini Akkunji, Sini Jose and Mandeep Kaur, tested positive for a banned steroid.

"During Ogrodonik's tenure, Indian relay teams produced the best timings. There is no point blaming this veteran coach for what happened in 2011. In fact, Ogorodonik was never blamed for the 2011 doping scandal neither by the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel nor by the NADA Anti-Doping Appeals Panel," the AFI again successfully put their arguments before the Ministry.

AFI has proposed that Ogorodonik will get a salary of $7,000 per month, about $1,000 more than what the Ukrainian got before his departure from India in 2011.

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