Tainted Chanu given a lifeline

Lifters provisional suspension is lifted as panel defers hearing

The decision left the participation of seven athletes in the Commonwealth Games at the mercy of their respective federations.

The wrestling and swimming federations have already confirmed that they will stick with the replacements. But the Athletics Federation of India is yet to take a decision as regards shot putter Sourabh Vij.

Wrestlers Rajiv Tomar, Mausam Khatri, Sumit and Gursharanpreet Kaur, and swimmers Richa Misra and Jyotsana Pansare and Vij were in the CWG squad before testing positive.

“I am going to meet the federation people today and will request them to reinstate me. I hope they will oblige my request,” said Tomar.

The decision to postpone the hearing came after RK Anand, Supreme Court lawyer who pursued the case of the athletes, asked for more time to study the case documents.
The athletes suffered a setback when two members of the three-man panel, except the chairman, argued that the tests conducted by NADA were in-competition tests contrary to the athletes’ argument that they were only trials.

Twelve athletes had tested positive for methylhexaneamine and NADA’s three-member panel of chairman Dinesh Dayal (retired judge), Dinesh Khanna (sports) and Dr NK Khaadiyan (physician) lifted the provisional suspension of the eleven on September 22. The decision came after WADA shifted the banned stimulant from non-specified to specified substance.