Swati pleads innocent, quits weightlifting after accepting ban
LUCKNOW: Bronze medalist weightlifter at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Swati Singh has decided to quit the game after being banned for two years for using a banned substance this May only. She has the opportunity to fight her case at the World Wrestling Federation, but she chose to quit the game.
“I am innocent and have decided not to fight my case as I have already lost one chance of 2022 Olympic qualifying. In fact, my ban would be lifted in April 2021, and I don’t think that I would have any chance of qualifying,” Swati said on Friday.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Swati had originally finished fourth but the gold medal winner Chika Amalaha of Nigeria failed a drug test, elevating her to bronze medal position.
Varanasi’s girl Swati, who has a number of medals at nationals, admitted of consuming cough syrup before the Asian Championship in China in April last, said that she wasn’t aware that it was a banned substance. Swati had then a finish in the best-eight in the 58 kg category.
In fact, she was returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for morphine, but the world body initially didn’t clarify whether she had committed a doping violation. IWF reports then had said that the sample of Swati, an ex-trainee at the Sports Authority of India’s sub-centre at the Guru Govind Singh Sports College here, returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for Morphine (S7. Narcotics).
Morphine falls in the narcotics sub-category of drugs under specified stimulants which are prohibited in-competition, as per the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list. Interestingly, Swati wasn’t handed any ban until it was proved that she committed an anti-doping rule violation.
“Even now I have the opportunity to fight my case at the IWF, but spending a big money at this age won’t help me achieve any further success in the sport and the entire process would also take too much time,” said Swati, 32.
She, however, said that she could have consulted the team’s doctor first before consuming the cough syrup then. “If I had consulted the team’s doctor, I could have avoided using the banned substance, but I wasn’t aware about this,” said Swati. “This is first such incident in my 21-year career and I still feel bad about this.”
Meanwhile, Wrestling Federation of India’s secretary, Sahdev Yadav on Friday said that Swati had the opportunity to win her case. “I feel that she could have won her case at the IWF as there were many short comings in her case. The WFI always stood for the betterment of the wrestlers.”
Yadav, however, confirmed that as per the IWF guidelines, Swati would soon be receiving an agreement on consequences from the IWF and only after signing it she will officially be facing ban. He also refused to accept that WFI was not supporting the athlete.
“WFI isn’t entitled to fight the case of any athlete, if he or she is banned by the world body. WFI can give moral and logistics support, but financially it’s the responsibility of the athletes. Federation doesn’t ask an athlete to give some cut of their prize money to us, then why they expect us to help them financially in fighting their cases,” Yadav asked.
AT THE 2014 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, SWATI HAD ORIGINALLY FINISHED FOURTH BUT THE GOLD MEDAL WINNER CHIKA AMALAHA OF NIGERIA FAILED A DRUG TEST, ELEVATING HER TO BRONZE MEDAL POSITION