JOIN USAll 29 athletes tested for drugs by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) at the recently held 55th Kerala State School Athletics Championship at Ernakulam in Kerala came through with flying colours, with no positive tests reported.
The samples belonged to athletes in both track and field events. The events in which the athletes were tested were: 100 metres (3), 400M (5), 800M (3), 4x100M relay (4), triple jump (4), long jump (1), high jump (2), shot put (1), hammer throw (2), discus (1) and javelin (3).
It was the first time NADA conducted drug tests in a state-level school competition as part of its programme to extend dope testing to college and school-level competitions.
“The sample analysis report of the national dope testing laboratory revealed that in all the samples, no banned substances had been detected.
Reassuring
“The fact that not a single athlete at these School Games tested positive was very reassuring and NADA is confident, with the efforts and counseling programmes, that incidents of doping will be minimal at the school level,” NADA director-general Rahul Bhatnagar said in a statement.
During the championship, education materials in English and Malayalam were distributed to the athletes. NADA will continue its tests at similar events in future and also organise educational programmes for the benefit of young athletes and sportspersons.