NEW DELHI: The National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) quarterly list for the July-September period lists two golfers among doping offenders for the first time. In the latest list, there are 40 athletes who have been provisionally suspended for violating anti-doping rules. The last one had 46.
According to the quarterly newsletter of NADA, from July to September the anti-doping disciplinary panel held 30 sittings and imposed sanctions on 52 offenders. For the first time, there are golfers among those found guilty. There are two of them. Both have been reprimanded and let off without suspension.
Professional golf in India is managed by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). The Indian Golf Union (IGU) looks after the amateur game. PGTI events are held under NADA guidelines. Random tests have been done for sample collection since 2017. The IGU is also NADA compliant and its events are open for dope tests. When contacted, officials of PGTI and IGU denied receiving any communication from NADA on doping violations.
Archer too let go
An in-competition test during January’s Khelo India games by NADA found a U-21 archer using terbutaline, a prohibited substance. The archer had admitted to the offence claiming that he had fever and had bought an over-the-counter drug which contained the prohibited substance and he was unaware of the same. Since this was the archer’s first-ever offence and had pleaded guilty, the ADDP (Anti Doping Appeal Panel) let the athlete go with only a reprimand.
Weightlifters top the list of doping norm violators with 11. All have been handed four-year suspensions by NADA’s anti-doping disciplinary panel. With seven positive cases, powerlifting is next on the list. They, too, have been suspended for four years each. Athletics (6), judo and bodybuilding (5 each) are the other disciplines with a high number of cases.