CHENNAI : It’s a big reprieve for Inderjeet Singh.Nearly two years after he failed a dope test just days away from Rio Olympics and five months after a four-year ban was upheld by National Anti-Doping Agency’s disciplinary panel, the shot-putter’s punishment has been set aside by their appeals panel.Incheon Asian Games bronze-winner Inderjeet had been one of the first athletes to make the cut for Rio, but he had been suspended after failing a dope test in July. His B sample had then tested positive last January.
The reprieve came from Anti Doping Appeals Panel (ADAP) — comprising lawyer Vibha Datta Makhija, Harsh Mahajan and former player Vinay Lamba — which pronounced that the identity and integrity of the samples collected by NADA were compromised. ADAP found merit in Inderjeet’s contention about the same.
“We are in agreement with the first finding of the disciplinary panel contained in paragraph 31 of the impugned judgement that there were material deviations from the WADA-documented procedures in the collection, deposit and/or testing of both first and second samples,” the verdict, a copy of which is with this newspaper, said.
The verdict comes as a huge embarrassment for NADA, with the panel also casting serious aspersions on the body’s functioning. “However, we are certainly pained by the hurriedness shown by NADA regarding testing of the sample, despite the appellant moving an application before the Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel on 26/10/2016 prior of testing B sample vide report dated 03/01/2017,” the verdict said. “We thus express our disapproval at the conduct of NADA which is required to be an impartial and fair authority.”
The panel also made suggestions to Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs “in the interest of making NADA more efficient, fair and transparent”. The anti-doping body has three weeks to decide if it wants to take the case before Court of Arbitration for Sport. Repeated attempts to reach NADA DG Navin Agarwal were unsuccessful.
Inderjeet released a statement welcoming the order. “It has confirmed the stand that I took that there was a problem with the collection and testing process. I have lost two-and-a-half years of my sporting life but I am grateful to the panels at NADA for giving us a patient hearing and a decision in my favour. I am grateful to Anish Dayal and his team, Dr Munish Chander for his technical advice and my close friend and sports activist Saurabh Mishra for their untiring efforts.”