Doping: Needle points towards India
SUSPICION Indian contingent denies wrongdoing after syringes found in Village accommodation GOLD COAST:
India’s campaign in the Commonwealth Games got off to an ignominious start with the chef de mission Vikram Sisodia and a delegation being summoned for hearing over breach of Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) ‘no needle policy’.
Though the CGF has still not officially named any country, reports have put Indian boxers in the dock after a foreign expert with the boxing team admitted that they brought the needles into the Village to treat a boxer.
The controversy has been raging since syringes were discovered by a member of the Village cleaning staff on Saturday. The Indians have denied any wrongdoing but have been forced to defend their action since the needles were found near their accommodation.
“The Commonwealth Games’ Federation’s Medical Commission has concluded its investigation into an alleged violation of the CGF’s No needle Policy. Their findings have been escalated to the CGF’s Federation Court which will conduct a hearing into the matter,” the CGF informed in a statement on Monday night.
The hearing will take place on Tuesday morning 10am local time and the court’s decision will be communicated after the hearing, the CGF said.
It also clarified that “this matter is not defined as an anti-doping violation but rather as an infringement of the CGF’s ‘no-needle policy,’ which has been introduced by major events organisers to ensure best medical practices.”
The allegation continued to be a cause of embarrassment for the Indian contingent on Monday even as they were officially welcomed by the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games organising committee at a function at
the Games Village in the evening.
The Commonwealth Games Federation and the local organising committee officials held a meeting to resolve the matter on Monday afternoon and finally decided to hand over the matter to the Commonwealth Games Federation Court.
Santiago Nieva, the high performance director of Boxing Federation of India, admitted to the official broadcaster that they took the syringe to administer a “vitamin substance” to an ailing boxer.
“I’m confident that our boxers (have) not taken anything,” Nieva told the Seven Network. “We had one boxer who didn’t feel very well and doctor has given him an injection.”
Nieva’s admission puts in poor light both the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials