A common sight at inter-school meets is that of an over-grown child, sporting a stubble, towering above the rest. Such instances are often dismissed as cases of over-aged malice. The truth, however, could be different.
Dr Arun Mendiratta has a theory for this. The medical and anti-doping chief of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) feels such kind of unnatural growth is the first indication of the child taking anabolic steroids. “We know that fielding over-age players is a general trend. But when you take anabolic steroids, your growth becomes unnatural. That’s not to say that all cases are similar, but it sure is an indication,” he explains.
Mendiratta, like all, is stunned at the recent revelations made by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA). Out of the 81 samples collected at the National School Games (NSG) in three disciplines — boxing, wrestling and weightlifting — 11 have returned positive — that is approximately 14 per cent. That is a very high percentage as five per cent is considered normal. The culprits are mainly from Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana. The results of the tests conducted during the NSG’s athletics event in Ludhiana and judo matches in Kolkata are still awaited.
Doping and school children is a scary mix, isn’t it? Till now, age-related fraud and cheating in examinations were considered to be the biggest concerns. Doping, now, has added a totally different dimension to it.
It will be naive to imagine that this is the first time doping has happened at the school level. It’s the first time that dope tests have been conducted at national inter-school meets. Had the tests not been conducted by NADA, the scandal may, perhaps, never have been exposed.
The issue was brought to NADA’s attention by a few whistleblowers, who said they found used syringes and shaving kits from rooms of the athletes during an inter-school meet. Subsequently, the agency’s director general Rahul Bhatnagar announced their decision of conducting dope tests at the Games that were held in New Delhi from December 28 to January 3. The decision was met with a lot of opposition, mostly from coaches and parents. A fortnight later, the result lays bare in front of us. “I am shocked but at least we know that such a thing exists. We can now work towards eradicating it,” Bhatnagar says.
But the process of eliminating the malice can only begin when someone stands up and takes the responsibility. The National School Games Federation says coaches are to be blamed. The coaches say they are not fools to give their wards a banned substance. Most of the schools DNA contacted didn’t even know such a thing has happened. And the children… do they even know what they are up to? “I have heard children saying calcium tablet and the vitamin supplements, given to them by their coach, helping them perform well. What no one really knows is what the supplement contains,” says Ajit Kulkarni, a Mumbai-based coach.
Kulkarni has been training the city children for more than a decade and has produced 110m hurdles national record holder Siddhanth Thingalaya. He concedes the coaches cannot run away from taking responsibility. “We have seen used syringes and plenty of other things during various meets but no one is interested in addressing the problem. We need to educate everyone — coaches and athletes — regarding the ill-effects of it,” stresses Kulkarni, who is also undergoing an IAAF coaching course.
Bhatnagar also pointed this out as a social issue. With the ‘perform or perish’ ideology now applied right from the school level, the children are expected to raise their standard at every meet. In addition to that, the cash incentives and college admissions through sports quota lure them into taking wrong steps. “Also, most of them work out in gyms these days. Who will monitor what an instructor gives them? There are physical education programmes in school, but they are not taken seriously.
The coaches at school level are not educated enough. We need to overhaul the system to change things. The federation alone cannot to everything” adds AK Misra, National School Games Federation general secretary.
After the doping shame that haunted Indian athletics last year, this is the last thing one expected. To learn that these kids, the future of Indian sports, are involved in such shameful activities should set the alarm bells ringing. If this won’t, then nothing will.
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