CHENNAI: The participation of Indian weightlifters in next year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi is in jeopardy with the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) facing the prospect of a ban after news of a third positive dope test result in two days. After it was revealed on Monday that Shailaja Pujari and Vicky Batta were caught in the dope net, IWF secretary BR Gulati confirmed on Tuesday that another weightlifter, Priyadarshini, had flunked the test.
The International Weightlifting Federation’s anti-doping rule says that “a national federation could be banned from IWF activities for a peri od of up to two years if three or more violations are committed by athletes within a 12-month period in testing con ducted by the IWF or anti-doping organisations other than the national federation or its national anti-do ping organisation.” Meaning, if the IWF escapes being banned, it will be due to two of the te sts being conducted by the National Anti-Doping Ag ency (NADA). Priyadarshini was caught during a regular screeing test by NADA before the training camp in Pune. Batta tested positive in a test conducted by the Wo rld Anti Do pi ng Agency (WA DA) in Septemb er while Pujari was caught by NADA in August. Batta and Pujari had tested positive before and have just completed two-year bans.
“It depends on what action NADA takes. So far we have not received any communication,” says Gulati. If the Indian federation is banned, the host nation will not be represented by weightlifters at the New Delhi CWG.
Although Gulati refuses to comment on the possibility of the Indian federation being banned, the penalty looms large. As an IWF official says: “There are three positive tests and a ban seems unavoidable.” In any case, the Indian federation will have to shell out $5,000 for each failed test.
Indian weightlifters have a history of doping. The IWF has been banned twice previously, the last time being in 2006 when Shailja, B Pramilavalli, Edwin Raju and Tejinder Singh tested positive. The ban was lifted after six months with the IWF paying a fine of $50,000.