By A Sports Correspondent PATIALA: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has found another way to improve the performances of Indian sportsmen.
It has started administration of Ayurveda drugs, including the “shillajit” to the Indian weightlifters and throwers.
Although the possibility of Indian sportsmen using drugs earlier is not ruled out, it is or the first time that the SAI has officially issued orders in this regard.
Ironically enough the use of ayurvedic drugs on Indian athletes has been started following the recommendations by the USSR experts, The Russians had of late been taking a keen interest in the Indian system of medicine thanks to strict doping control measures adopted by the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
The Executive Director of the reams wing of the SAI which conducts the national camps in a letter to the Regional Director of the SAI here early this month has granted sanction for giving shilajit, liv52, ginseng and because examine to provide “extra pharmacological support” for nine athletes, all throwers at present undergoing training here in preparation for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
‘The recommendations in this regard had been made by Dr. V Baukulin a Russian sports scientist, at present working the Centre of Excellence, Bangalore, The throwers are Bahadur Singh, Iqbal Singh, Balwinder Singh, Avtar Singh, R.S Bal, Shakti Singh, Surjeet Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh and S.B. Mishra. The Russian expert has also pres Cribed the doses of medicine to be given to the athletes. It is not known if any Indian ayurvedist has been taken into confidence while determining the dose,
It has been learnt that the Indian lifters free already on these ayurvedic drugs for the past over six months, that too on the recommendations of the Russian experts.
The Union Government, sometime back had sanctioned provision of extra vitamins worth Rs 5 per head per day for power events and Rs 2 per head per day for other events, This was reportedly to help the sportspersons overcome shortages in the regular diet provided to them during the camps.
Much hue and cry had been raised by some sportsperson last year regarding poor quality of diet supplied to them during the camps.
Ginseng one of the drugs recommended for Indian athletes has ant stress and ant fatigue qualities. The Koreans and the Russians had been frequently using it earlier. It is not included in the list of substances banned under the doping control measures of the IOC,
Denials notwithstanding many Indian sportspersons had freely used steroids and other stimulants during the 1982 Delhi Asind perhaps taking advantage of the fact that the dope testing facility was not available during the Games.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 25, 1989
