In yet another blow to Indian sports, nearly a hundred of the country’s sportspersons have tested positive this year, for using banned substances to enhance their performance.
These sportspersons were caught after their blood and urine samples were analysed by the country’s premier drug testing lab, National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in Delhi.
NDTL revealed this figure in its presentation to Sports Minister Jitendra Singh in Delhi recently. The latest data, compiled up to November 15, reveals that out of the 3,144 samples of national sportspersons, 96 tested positive for dope.
The laboratory located in Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Delhi also tests international samples sent to it. Out of 1,991 samples sent by other countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Saudi Arabia, 59 tested positive. The overall figure for the year, combining both national and international samples, was 155 positive tests for a total of 5,135.
Similarly, in 2011, 2,865 national samples were tested, out of which 121 tested positive. Of the 1,659 international samples tested here, 104 tested positive. The overall figure stood at 225 positives (4.97 per cent) for 4,524 samples.
For the uninitiated, 225 positive samples for 4,524 may appear less. But according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) statistics for 2011, India with the highest percentage of positive samples topped the list across the world. more: P10