SAI passes buck, blames athletes in doping cases

[President Camacho]

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SAI passes buck, blames athletes

JAIPUR: Tainted athletes and their coaches have rushed to blame suspect food supplements for a series of positive dope tests which have rocked Indian sport but on Saturday, a senior Sports Authority of India (SAI) official at NIS Patiala told TOI there was "zero" chance of its supplements being contaminated. "Each and every batch of food supplement is tested before being given to the athletes," the official said.

Most of the athletes caught in the doping net are blaming food supplements for their positive tests. "If food supplements are to be blamed, then these are not the ones provided by SAI," the official said.

Sacked coach Yuri Ogordnik has admitted having bought supplements - which may have been contamination - for his wards. That in itself was a violation of rules as the coach is not supposed to buy supplements from unauthorised agents.

"Earlier, just a random sample from a particular lot of food supplements would be tested for contamination," the official said. "But now, we have a much more foolproof method in place." If any supplement is found to be contaminated, the supplying agency can be severely penalised.

"The SAI does everything in its capacity to provide clean supplements," the official said. "However, how can you stop an athlete from consuming a banned substance deliberately? Even if CCTV is installed in the rooms, you will still not be able to stop them."

Yuri's tears have not been able to convince SAI officials that he is just an innocent victim of circumstances in this entire saga. "Now that they have been caught, the coaches and athletes will obviously shed tears. Only a thorough investigation will prove whether it was accidental or deliberate."

The SAI doctors in Patiala have been asked to prepare a report on the doping issue. "This is just an information-gathering report and not a show cause," one of the doctors clarified, refuting allegations that "organized doping" takes place in the SAI campus. "That is not true," he said. "Doping has always been a matter of choice for the individual athletes and the institution (SAI) cannot be blamed."

[President Camacho]

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I somewhere read that many of those who broke national records and won medals at the Common Wealth Games are also caught.

If that is the case, this news will have no effect unless their medals and records are stripped and they are banned for years.