Doping an offence? Nada asked to mull

New Delhi: Sports minister Vijay Goel has asked the National Anti-Doping Agency to consider the possibility of making doping a criminal offence at a seminar here on Thursday. Goel’s initiative comes in the wake of the Indian football team’s veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul’s A urine sample testing positive for a banned substance on Tuesday. The minister has also directed Nada, the Indian Olympic Association, the National Sports Federations and the Sports Authority of India to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards doping. The meeting was called to “discuss the issue threadbare and finalise an effective strategy to deal with the menace, including the possibility of making doping a criminal offence”.