KOZHIKODE: It wasn’t long after Muhammed Anees had set a state meet record in long jump event that he was summoned by the NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) officials for a dope test. This is something that will be seen a lot more at state championships in the future.
This newspaper had earlier reported that the Athletics Federation of India was considering the introduction of dope testing at all state championships and national school-level meets. The two-day Kerala State Athletics Championship held on June 15 and 16 was the first time that decision was put to practice.
“Yes, the NADA people were there. Kozhikode is the first time that we are implementing our recent decision to have dope testing at all state meets. This will continue from now on,” said Athletics Federation of India secretary CK Valson.
Kerala State Athletics Association secretary PI Babu also confirmed the presence of NADA officials at the meet. “We informed the dates of the championship to the Athletics Federation of India well in advance and NADA have turned up,” he said.
Anees was the first to be tested followed by four others who were tested over the course the two days. “It’s been after many years that NADA has come for the state meet here. My last test was in 2013. If they come regularly, then it is will be very helpful in catching cheaters. At this level, there are athletes who cheat. At the same time, it also puts a lot of responsibility on us when it comes to preparations and being informed and aware of doping,” Anees said.
Babu informed that NADA officials were coming for a state meet in Kerala after a gap of five years. “I think it’s been five years since we had NADA at a state meet. They have taken samples of athletes they identified and we have left everything to them. It has also helped us observe anyone who withdrew from the meet knowing that NADA will be present. We have been trying to create awareness about doping and now we can see that more and more athletes are taking things seriously,” Babu said.
There were some initial hiccups as the sample collecting kit arrived only by Saturday afternoon. There was also some language difficulties for the NADA officer from New Delhi in interacting with the KSAA officials. But once everything was set up, operations went smoothly. “One of the boxes, which had some sample collection equipment, was lost at the airport transit. But thankfully, they had some with them and around five athletes were tested during the meet. They were here on both the days and kept a close eye on the proceedings,” a KSAA official said.