It’s been an open secret in Indian sports. So when news emerged that India ranked third behind Russia and Turkey in a 2013 World Anti-Doping Agency report, it didn’t really come as a surprise. Doping is a malaise that has afflicted Indian sports for far too long. India has reacted to this malaise mostly by sweeping it under the carpet and pretending everything is hunky-dory. Except, well, it’s not.
The statistics in the report are damning. Over 91 Indian athletes from various different sporting events have failed dope tests. While the vast majority are track and field athletes (30), the other sports involved include weight-lifting, wrestling, power-lifting, bodybuilding, judo, boxing and various others. And yes, even cricket is on that list.
In an ideal world, the list should serve as a wake-up call. But in the opaque world of sports administration in India, the chances of that are bleak. Here are some major doping events in India’s recent sporting history.
21 weightlifters caught red-handed
A massive scandal erupted in April when it emerged that 21 weightlifters had tested positive for banned substances by the National Anti Doping Agency. Interestingly, a majority of those caught were from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Among them was Simranpreet Kaur, a gold medallist in the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, held in Janury.
All the players were provisionally suspended and faced the risk of a further four year ban if their “B” samples tested positive. As an additional measure, the Indian Weightlifting Federation even considered imposing a year-long ban on Delhi, Punjab and Haryana for being the worst offenders.
2010 CWG stars banned
In 2010, Indian athletics was at an all-time high. The Indian female contingent had won successive gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 Asian Games in the 4X400 m relay event. It was a proud moment.
But things soon came crashing down, when it emerged that three members of that relay team, Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose, all tested positive for a banned substance. All of them were banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
It was particularly tough blow for Akkunji,who had received public adulation after her feats in 2010. It was Yuri Ogorodnik, the coach of that team, who took the fall. He declared that it was he who had given the girls those supplements, since they had run out of supplements provided by the Sports Authority of India.
On her part, Akkunji seems to have recovered well from the setback. After her ban ended in 2013, Akkunji set a new record in the 2014 National Inter-State Athletics Championships and was recently included in the government’s Target Olympic Podium scheme.
Even Ogorodnik seems to have tided over that storm – he was appointed coach of India’s 4X400 m women’s relay team in 2015.
Saina drops a bombshell
Saina Nehwal, India’s badminton sensation, dropped a bombshell in 2011, when reacting to news about doping bans, commented that doping was widespread in India.
“I know many athletes and weightlifters who themselves tell me that ‘we take it’”, said Nehwal.
However, Nehwal laid the blame on the fact that most of these athletes were not well-educated. “They just take what their coaches give them,” she said. “It is really sad that the athletes don’t know what they take.”
Coming from the lips of one of India’s biggest sporting stars, this was one hell of a revelation. Though most of what Nehwal said was often suspected, Nehwal’s admission was final confirmation that something was very amiss in Indian sports.
Cricketers are not tested according to standards
Here’s an interesting fact: while most athletes in India have to comply with regulations laid down by the World Anti-Doping Agency, India’s cricketers do not. This is because the Board of Control of India has reservations about the “whereabouts” clause of the WADA code, a major sticking point since 2009.
In a nutshell, the “whereabouts” clause lays down that players in a particular pool must give due information about their whereabouts to the International Cricket Council. However, the BCCI does not accept that clause and conducts their own independent tests, keeping the National Anti-Doping Agency completely out of the fray.
In October 2013, the BCCI banned Delhi pacer Pradeep Sangwan for 18 months after he was found guilty of consuming a banned steroid.
Indian weightlifting body suspended
Back in 2006, the Indian Weightlifting Federation faced the ultimate humiliation: the International Weightlifting Federation suspended them from international sporting events when four weightlifters tested positive for a banned substance.
The four athletes involved included B Prameela Valli, Sailaja Pujari, Edwin Raju and Tejinder Singh. Incredibly, Raju and Singh had been cleared when they were tested by the Sports Authority of India, just before they had departed for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
However, the story did have a happy ending – a few months later, the international organisation lifted the ban in lieu of a heavy fine.
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The statistics in the report are damning. Over 91 Indian athletes from various different sporting events have failed dope tests. While the vast majority are track and field athletes (30), the other sports involved include weight-lifting, wrestling, power-lifting, bodybuilding, judo, boxing and various others. And yes, even cricket is on that list.
In an ideal world, the list should serve as a wake-up call. But in the opaque world of sports administration in India, the chances of that are bleak. Here are some major doping events in India’s recent sporting history.
21 weightlifters caught red-handed
A massive scandal erupted in April when it emerged that 21 weightlifters had tested positive for banned substances by the National Anti Doping Agency. Interestingly, a majority of those caught were from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Among them was Simranpreet Kaur, a gold medallist in the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, held in Janury.
All the players were provisionally suspended and faced the risk of a further four year ban if their “B” samples tested positive. As an additional measure, the Indian Weightlifting Federation even considered imposing a year-long ban on Delhi, Punjab and Haryana for being the worst offenders.
2010 CWG stars banned
In 2010, Indian athletics was at an all-time high. The Indian female contingent had won successive gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 Asian Games in the 4X400 m relay event. It was a proud moment.
But things soon came crashing down, when it emerged that three members of that relay team, Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose, all tested positive for a banned substance. All of them were banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
It was particularly tough blow for Akkunji,who had received public adulation after her feats in 2010. It was Yuri Ogorodnik, the coach of that team, who took the fall. He declared that it was he who had given the girls those supplements, since they had run out of supplements provided by the Sports Authority of India.
On her part, Akkunji seems to have recovered well from the setback. After her ban ended in 2013, Akkunji set a new record in the 2014 National Inter-State Athletics Championships and was recently included in the government’s Target Olympic Podium scheme.
Even Ogorodnik seems to have tided over that storm – he was appointed coach of India’s 4X400 m women’s relay team in 2015.
Saina drops a bombshell
Saina Nehwal, India’s badminton sensation, dropped a bombshell in 2011, when reacting to news about doping bans, commented that doping was widespread in India.
“I know many athletes and weightlifters who themselves tell me that ‘we take it’”, said Nehwal.
However, Nehwal laid the blame on the fact that most of these athletes were not well-educated. “They just take what their coaches give them,” she said. “It is really sad that the athletes don’t know what they take.”
Coming from the lips of one of India’s biggest sporting stars, this was one hell of a revelation. Though most of what Nehwal said was often suspected, Nehwal’s admission was final confirmation that something was very amiss in Indian sports.
Cricketers are not tested according to standards
Here’s an interesting fact: while most athletes in India have to comply with regulations laid down by the World Anti-Doping Agency, India’s cricketers do not. This is because the Board of Control of India has reservations about the “whereabouts” clause of the WADA code, a major sticking point since 2009.
In a nutshell, the “whereabouts” clause lays down that players in a particular pool must give due information about their whereabouts to the International Cricket Council. However, the BCCI does not accept that clause and conducts their own independent tests, keeping the National Anti-Doping Agency completely out of the fray.
In October 2013, the BCCI banned Delhi pacer Pradeep Sangwan for 18 months after he was found guilty of consuming a banned steroid.
Indian weightlifting body suspended
Back in 2006, the Indian Weightlifting Federation faced the ultimate humiliation: the International Weightlifting Federation suspended them from international sporting events when four weightlifters tested positive for a banned substance.
The four athletes involved included B Prameela Valli, Sailaja Pujari, Edwin Raju and Tejinder Singh. Incredibly, Raju and Singh had been cleared when they were tested by the Sports Authority of India, just before they had departed for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
However, the story did have a happy ending – a few months later, the international organisation lifted the ban in lieu of a heavy fine.