Nada officials were chased away from Sonepat

HAD THERE BEEN DELIBERATION ON THE ISSUE, INCLUDING CHECKING THE DIET SUPPLEMENTS, THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED

NEW DELHI: Four months back when dope testing officials from the National Anti doping agency (NADA) knocked the doors of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centre at Sonepat in Haryana, to collect urine samples of the national wrestling squad preparing for Rio Olympics, they allegedly beat a hasty retreat from the campus to avoid unpleasant situation.

The fact that country’s cream of wrestlers refused to give urine samples for out of competition testing, there could have been something wrong.

Then NADA chief Rajvir Singh, it is learnt, reported the incident to SAI’s top officials including regional director Radhika Sreeman.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) key officials were also apprised of the happening, which could have far reaching repercussions had NADA taken a stern action.

As per new World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) anti violation rules, three missed test in one year is equivalent to positive test, it means suspension of four years from active competition.

In normal circumstance NADA chief too could have marked all the wrestlers attending the national preparation camp absent. He, however, gave them a reprieve and left them off the hook with a verbal warning.

NADA dope testing officials though came back within a short period to collect the samples again, but the suspense of random dope test was public, it reportedly gave time for the players to manage things.

Apparently, the federation didn’t react to the warning. Perhaps it was like a silent knock at the door. At the federation’s end there could have been a brain storming session as to why top wrestlers wanted to run away if they were clean?

Had there been deliberation on the issue, including cross checking on the dietary supplements, incident of Narsingh Yadav, who failed dope test could have been averted.

The fact the Kerala based WFI general secretary VN Prasood feigned ignorance of Yadav’s doping issue on Saturday, it indicates that he is nearly cut off from the happening in Sonepat, known as wrestling hub in the country.