The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has been banned twice in the past — in 2004 and 2006.
Three more Indian weightlifters tested positive for doping on Thursday, pushing the national body to the brink of yet another suspension. The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has been banned twice in the past — in 2004 and 2006.
Depending on how the International Weightlifting Federation views recent positive tests, including the three new ones confirmed by officials on Thursday, India may find themselves out of next year’s Commonwealth Games, or worse still, even ineligible to participate in the 2012 London Olympics.
IWF officials confirmed that Harbhajan Singh of Delhi, Vijaya Devi of Jharkhand and Rajesh Kumar of Services had tested positive in out-of-competition tests conducted by the World Anti Doping Authority (WADA) at recent trials for the Commonwealth championships to be held in Malaysia later this month.
This takes the number of weightlifters who have been found to use banned substances by WADA to four, including Vicky Batta, who had earlier been ticked off by the world body.
A national federation can be banned for one year if three of its weightlifters test positive within a 12-month period and for four years if four of them test positive. The IWF has bought time by asking for a sample B test of two of the weightlifters, but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has decided to set up a four-man committee to look into the scandal.
“We are alarmed at the reports of doping that have come in and set up a committee to look into the matter,” said IOA President Suresh Kalmadi. KP Singh Deo, Dr Harbhajan Singh, Dr Munish Chander and legal expert Satish Salwan would be the members of the committee.
IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh was worried about the prospect of the national federation being banned. “It will be sad if our weightlifters are not eligible to participate because this discipline has won us medals in the past,” said Randhir.
Shailaja Pujari, a serial offender, who has been caught for doping at least three times in her career, and junior weightlifter Priyadarshini too tested positive in tests conducted recently by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) but its parent body (WADA) may or may not take these cases into consideration.
Dr Chander said while they could only await the verdict of the world weightlifting body, the four-man committee would leave no stone unturned in trying to get to the root cause of rampant use of drugs, which has been blamed on athletes, coaches and even federation officials.
“We will not only investigate matters in India but also get in touch with officials abroad to understand the problem,” he said. IWF secretary Baldev Gulati “I’m dumbfounded. All of them have shown some sort of anabolic steroid. We’ve also had periodic dope tests. This shows something has happened in the last 20 days, just before the Commonwealth championships.”
Last year, Egyptian Magad Salama resigned as national coach citing doping among senior lifters.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}