Top five national athletes fail dope tests conducted by IAAF

Top five national athletes fail dope tests conducted by IAAF

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Five Indian athletes have failed the dope tests carried out by IAAF’s Athletics Integrity Unit based on samples that were collected at the inter-state trials which were held in Guwahati. Nirmala Sheoran, Sanjivini Jadhav, Sandeep Kumari, Jhuma Khatun, and Naveen Chikara failed the test.

In what comes as a major embarrassment to the Indian sporting fraternity, five top Indian athletes have failed the dope tests that were carried out by IAAF’s Athletic Integrity Unit (AIU). Three of the athletes that failed their respective tests’ took part in the Asian Games in Jakarta held earlier this year. 400m runner Nirmala Sheoran, long distance (5000 and 10,000m) runner Sanjivini Jadhav, Discus Thrower Sandeep Kumari, and 1500m runner Jhuma Khatun are the four women who have failed the test, while Shot Put star Naveen Chikara is the only male to be added to the list of doping failures.

"There are reports that these samples were collected during the Inter-State meet - billed as the Asian Games trials - held in Guwahati. These results have arrived only now and that's why some of these athletes were able to compete at the Asian Games.

"There is no change to the situation from what it was before. Even the other day, some athletes ran away from the camp when Nada officials made a surprise visit to collect samples," sources told TOI.

Two of the athletes who failed the test were caught training at the national camp at the SAI South Centre Bengaluru, the rest were part of the federation's list of athletes were set to train at the NIS in Patiala. However, Sheoran, who had disappeared for long periods before she travelled to Jakarta for the Asiad Games, has been traced but she hasn't joined the national camps, sources inside the camp told TOI.

These latest reports are proof that doping goes on in the Indian athletic scenario. In addition to individual disgrace, these athletes have embarrassed the country on a global stage as well as some were involved in the campaign at the Asian Games in Jakarta where the nation won 69 medals, its best-ever performance. Athletics added 19 medals, which included seven gold to the overall tally for India.

These fresh doping cases also brought up questions regarding the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) as the body had claimed a reduction in doping cases over the years, even though it was later revealed that the reduced numbers were due to a decrease in the number of dope tests conducted by the agency.

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