Three Uttar Pradesh athletes suspected of doping at U-20 meet

Bengaluru: Three Uttar Pradesh athletes, including two minors, were suspected of doping at the National Junior Federation Competition in Tumakuru as they were found in possession of syringes on Saturday.

The three athletes, including a 19-year-old 400m runnner, were allegedly caught red handed in possession of a bag full of syringes after strong smell of medicines came from their room at a local hotel nearby the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, the venue of the event. The images of the “evidence” and identity cards of the athletes are seen by DH.

The other two minor athletes competed in the 5000m and 1500m events each. None of them reached finals of their respective qualifiers.

After identifying the occupants of the room, National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) was informed of the development but the three athletes, who were also accompanied by an adult, absconded before NADA could reach.

The incident comes after World Athletics’ Integrity Unit designated India as a country having “extremely high” risk of doping only last week. 

World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka, during her visit to Delhi recently, urged India to seriously consider the doping menace in the country. Efforts are also on by the Indian government to criminalise doping in the country as India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics continue to take a hit.

“NADA’s team was informed about the three athletes several hours after the incident but the athletes were not present at the hotel by the time the anti-doping officials could reach,” a source told DH. “The adult in the group is a former athlete and, prima facie, is suspected to be influencing the kids into substance abuse. All of them have been identified but and are on NADA’s radar if they show up in any future event.”

The DH also reached out to UP Athletics Association to trace the whereabouts of the athletes but there was no response.

Meanwhile, the competition director Satyanarayan said Athletics Federation of India is looking into the matter.

It’s worth noting that alleged presence of syrignes also violates the AFI’s ‘No Needle Policy’, banning the possession and use of syringes by athletes and staff.

Violations, such as finding needles in rooms or baggage, result in immediate disqualification, suspensions up to three years. NADA may enforce a four-year ban for similar offence if linked to prohibited substances.

The three-day event, which concluded on Sunday with over 1,000 athletes taking part, served as the final trials for this year’s U-20 Asian Athletics Championships in Hong Kong in May. The competition was earlier slated to be held in the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here but was moved to Tumakuru over clash with an Indian Super League match.

This wasn’t the only incident of syringes being found during the competition as they were also spotted at the stadium’s washrooms on Day 1 while records galore fell at the meet. This also prompted a reaction from the officials that participants will be thoroughly checked.