The Athletics Integrity Unit has placed India in Category ‘B’ of nations – high risk, low international success – in its categorisation of National Federations under the new Article 15 of the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules, which had previously been approved by the IAAF Council in July in Buenos Aires.
The Rule puts in place an advanced framework for the fight against doping in athletics. The new rules, which come into force from January 2019, make National Federations accountable for assisting in the fight against doping and for ensuring appropriate anti-doping measures are in place in their respective jurisdictions.
This Article 15 establishes a framework of National Federation anti-doping obligations that is designed to ensure that National Federations have rules and policies that are compliant with the Code but also that National Federations take ultimate responsibility for the delivery of strong and effective anti-doping programmes in Athletics in their respective jurisdictions. The Integrity Unit shall monitor the compliance of National Federations with their obligations under this Article and shall either work with noncompliant National Federations to ensure that they become compliant or shall refer noncompliant National Federations to the IAAF Council for sanction. The ultimate objective is to ensure that strong, compliant anti-doping programmes are being applied and enforced in Athletics consistently and effectively so that clean Athletes can have confidence that there is a fair competition on a level playing field and that public confidence in the integrity of Athletics can be maintained.
— Article 15 of the IAAF Anti-Doping rules. (Source: https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/know-the-rules/en/4-IAAF-Rule-15.pdf)
This also puts added emphasis on the Athletics Federation of India to push for a cleaner sport. Nirmala Sheoran and four other athletes were recently caught, violating anti-doping rules after their samples were cleared by the National Anti-Doping Agency.
Shot-putter Manpreet Kaur, who was on a hot-streak and won the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017, was caught at the Asian Grand Prix. Jithin Paul was caught in possession of Meldonium after the NADA conducted an on-campus raid at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala.
Adille Sumariwalla, president, Athletics Federation of India told the Hindustan Times, “We have told the NADA to do more testing. Initially there will be a spike in positive cases but in the longer run it will discourage dope cheats.”
Obligations under the previous IAAF Anti-Doping Rules largely rested with individuals, while the obligations of the National Federations themselves were limited.
Article 15 also has provisions for severe sanctions on National Federations in case of multiple violations. It states that when “three or more Anti-Doping Rule Violations have been committed by International Level Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel or other Persons from a National Federation within a period of 1 year starting from the date of the first Anti-Doping Rule Violation and, having regard to the number and seriousness of the violations, the number of Athletes competing internationally from the National Federation and the relevant time frame concerned, the Council is of the opinion, in its entire discretion, that the National Federation has thereby brought the IAAF into disrepute.”
Sanctions according to the AIU website include:
- Suspend the National Federation until the next meeting of the Congress or for any shorter period.
- Provisionally suspend a National Federation pending a hearing.
- Caution or censure the National Federation.
- Issue fines against the National Federation.
- Withhold grants or subsidies from the National Federation.
- Exclude the National Federation’s Athletes from any one or more International Competition.
- Limit the number of the National Federation’s Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel and other Persons permitted to compete in any one or more International Competition.
- Remove or deny accreditation to the National Federation’s officers or other representatives.
- Impose any other sanction it may deem to be appropriate.
India have been placed in Category B along with 56 other nations. It must be noted that the opposite – Low Absolute Doping Risk, High International Success – is also considered for the same category as India are classified along with nations such as the United States.
Category A consists of five nations, Bahrain, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ukraine while a further 155 countries are classified under category C.
