Mandeep, Murmu stay in IAAF testing pool

Indian 400M runners Mandeep Kaur and Jauna Murmu might have completed their two-year doping bans but they still remain in the International Association of Athletics Federations’ Registered Testing Pool (RTP).

Athletes in the RTP are required to furnish their whereabouts details on a quarterly basis and also will be in focus under the IAAF’s out-of-competition testing programme.
Normally, athletes in the top-20 rankings are placed in the RTP but IAAF can use their discretion in placing any athlete in the list. Mandeep and Jauna were among the six Indian quartermilers who failed dope tests in 2011.

Apart from Mandeep and Jauna, the other Indians in the current RTP are walkers K T Irfan and Gurmeet Singh, 800M runner Tintu Luka, discus thrower Krishna Poonia.
The IAAF on Friday released list of athletes who were tested out-of-competition last year and Gurmeet was among the most-tested athletes, having subjected to more than four tests during the period. Irfan, Krishna, Tintu, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and shotputter O P Singh were tested upto three times.

Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s six-time Olympic champion, too was tested upto three times out of competition. The IAAF didn’t specifically say how many times an athlete was tested.
On Wednesday, the IAAF had announced its plans for elaborate dope testing at the World Championships in Moscow next month, with plans afoot to blood test all the competitors. Blood-testing of all the competitors was first done at the World Championships in Daegu two years ago.