Principal Correspondent : DOPING menace has been haunting Indian sports for the past several decades and the problem is a major concern for the country. Random and out of competition testing is the need of the hour and should be taken up seriously, felt newly-appointed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil (PT) Usha. The former Indian track and field athlete is in the city to inaugurate Khasdar Krida Mahotsav Season 5 on Sunday. Interacting with sports journalists at a city hotel, the IOA chief showed her concern over Indian sportspersons testing positive for banned substances. In the newly-released dope offenders’ list, NADA has added 17 new names. Athletics and weightlifting constitute the biggest chunk of suspended athletes. According to reports, 13 athletes from athletics and 11 weightlifters make up the 24 out of 47 suspended sportspersons. Sprinters Dhanalaxmi Sekar, MV Jilna, and jumper Aishwarya Babu are the big names from athletics on the list. Six wrestlers are also on the list with most of them suspended for the use of steroids. On Saturday, two-time Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold medallist, Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu, failed the dope test and has been provisionally suspended by NADA. The weightlifter from Manipur was suspended for the use of a prohibited substance Drostanolone Metabolite, an official NADA document said. “It is a major concern.

 

Doping is rampant in India and our country is at the second position (actually third) in the world while failing dope tests,” said Usha. As per World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), India is third in the number of doping violators just behind Russia and Italy. When asked by ‘The Hitavada’ as to what measures are being taken by the IOA to stem the rot, the former Asian Games gold medallist said that there is an immediate need of out of competition testing. “We need to increase the testing. I feel that random testing should be done. NADA should conduct out of competition testings. When there is a sudden rise in any athletes’ performance, he/she should be immediately tested,” felt the IOA chief. Padmashri PT Usha was of the view that the performance of an athlete improves gradually, and if there is sudden rise there has to be “something wrong.” “The performance of an athlete rises slowly and gradually with regular training and practice. If athletes are performing to the highest level in a very short span of time then there has to be a thorough check on such sportspersons,” she advised.

 

“Even during national championships, random testing should be done. I feel that there should be a pool of top athletes who should sign a “whereabouts clause” after which they could be tested even during off-season,” said the Rajya Sabha MP. Usha felt that India needed to win more medals in the Paris Olympics. “We have done reasonably well last time (in 2021 Tokyo). But our performance needs to be bettered in Paris.” India has shown interest in bidding for the 2036 Olympics and Usha was of the view that our country can organise the sporting extravaganza. “I am sure we can host the Olympics in 2036,” she signed off. Earlier, former Mayor and Convenor of KKM 5 Sandip Joshi welcomed PT Usha. Usha’s husband Srinivasan, NMC Sports Officer Dr Piyush Ambulkar and Sudhir Diwe were also present.