JOIN USThe news of eight Indian sportspersons failing dope tests ahead of the Commonwealth Games is hardly surprising, given the grip the malaise enjoys on our system. Indeed, doping in all its forms is rampant in Indian sport, with competitors willing to go to any length to bask in that one moment of glory. The real reason to pursue sport is often sidelined in that quest and even the fear of getting caught has had no effect on the cheats, going by the latest list of the shamed. The build-up to the Delhi Commonwealth Games has been marred by a series of corruption scandals and the positive dope tests have added to the negativity. That five from the list —four wrestlers and an athlete — form a part of the Commonwealth Games squad is disquieting, raising suspicions that Indian sportspersons could be out to use home advantage to the hilt.
Dope cheats have shamed India many a time in international competitions in the recent past. In the Commonwealth arena, weightlifters embarrassed the nation in two previous editions in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006 even as they scooped up a handful of medals. Weightlifting, in fact, has acquired a tainted image thanks to the frequency with which its purveyors violate the rules despite threats, bans and fines from the sport’s world governing body. But for a directive from the sports ministry — asking the CWG organising committee to pay the fine imposed by the International Weightlifting Federation — India could have even missed out on a shot at medals.
In the past, there were suggestions that some national federations were hand-in-glove with sportspersons in their shady pursuits, training trips to countries like Ukraine reinforcing the suspicion. At one point in time, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had its eyes trained on India but its endeavours have not fetched the desired results with athletes devising ways to evade testers. The establishment of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the WADA accreditation gained by the Sports Authority of India laboratory, however, have been positive developments in the race to nab the cheats.
NADA’s efforts seem to be bearing fruit, at least to some extent, going by the positive cases in the last few days. Still, the feeling remains that it has only managed to scratch the surface. Plenty more needs to be done if Indians are to regain their clean image — one without the false sheen of medals won through drugs.