NEW DELHI: Disgraced Indian weightlifter Subrata Kumar Paul will have to own responsibility for testing positive at the Auckland commonwealth games as no other person was involved in the scandal, reports here indicate.
In a report to the Indian Olympic Association, general secretary of the weightlifting federation D.N. Sarkar, who was also manager of the team at the games said “our weightlifters were warned against taking any forbidden drug and they had to sign a bond before departure that they had not taken and will not take any such drug and if anybody tests positive, he has to reimburse all money spent on him.”
A copy of the bond secured by PTI said, “I hereby certify that at no stage of my training I have taken any forbidden medicine to enhance my sports result …no coach or doctor or manager of the team concerned has ever advised me to take the same …” Paul was the fifth signatory to the bond.
However, Paul had vehemently denied taking any performance enhancing drug and instead alleged sabotage. Paul now faces an automatic two year ban ‘among other sanctions of the International Weightlifting Federation.
The Sarkar report further said a list, containing names of more than 100 banned drugs, was supplied to each coach and manager of the Indian contingent and there was no way anybody else was involved. Paul was the only one of the six Indian weightlifters testing positive after random dope tests were done.
Indian Chef-De-Mission K.S. Bains, who was interviewed by the commonwealth games medical commission, had told the press in Auckland that Paul was flown back since his events were over.
However, a report of the commission chairman J. Howel Jones said, “Mr. Bains stated that because of language problems, he did not wish the competitor to attend the interview and he intended to send him home early next morning. It was his understanding that the competitor did not admit to drug abuse. As he did not speak English and in view of the action already decided upon by the general manager (Mr. Bains), the commission did not feel they could insist on interviewing the competitor.”
However, Sarkar’s report also pointed out that till now no action had been taken by the sport authority of India (SAD) or the for dope testing of weightlifters in coaching camp despite having held meetings to this effect.
In a separate report, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Medical official of the Indian contingent, suggested all national championships be included in the purview of dope testing.
His other suggestions were: power sports competitors are tested prior to their departure for international meets and sending of urine samples to 1OCapproved labs near India till such time as a dope lab is not set up in the country.
Dr, Manmohan Singh felt the embarrassment at Auckland could have easily been avoided if such facilities were available in India and proper measures taken against the menace.
The congress also decided the following sanctions for positive doping results:
- The athlete will be suspended for a Jahangir to period of two years from international participation. A repeated offence will lead to life suspension.
- A resistance to submit to doping control has the same disciplinary consequences as in testing positive.
- A weightlifter caught positive in Olympic Games will be banned from participation in future Olympics.
- A fine of $1,000 U.S. dollars is to be paid for each positive testing by the national federation of the lifter.
- If three for more positive results are obtained from lifters of the same national federation within a calendar year, the concerned federation shall be suspended for one year from the international scene. The second three cases from the same country will result in a two year suspension.
- Any national federation refusing to cooperate in the out of competition random testing shall face a two year suspension,
Article extracted from this publication >> March 23, 1990
