‘Individual federations responsible for SAG doping controversy’

Pakistan Olympic Committee official reveals no federation submitted forms of medications athletes were taking

KARACHI: In the wake of the doping controversy of three Pakistani track and field South Asian Games medallists failing the test, a Pakistan Olympic Committee official has revealed that none of the federations had submitted the form that details if the athletes are on medication before the South Asian Games and during the National Games.

The official added that it is unfortunate that three athletes have tested positive. The POA have acted as a coordinating body and had forwarded the details sent to them by the Nepal Olympic Committee's doping control body earlier this week, during Eid holidays.

Initially the athletes' names had not been revealed to protect them, and also to wait for further directives from WADA, while the local media had published the names, and so far there has been reluctance by all in naming the athletes out of embarrassment and disappointment, as well as a way to keep it humane for them.

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) revealed that three athletes, Olympian Mehboob Ali who won the 400m hurdle gold medal in Nepal at SAG, 110 metre hurdler Muhammad Naeem and sprinter Samiullah have tested positive for doping.

"We have passed on the information to the AFP but now we are going to be waiting for further procedures and clarity," the official told The Express Tribune. "The cases are being dealt as individual doping cases and so they have opted for Sample B. But it is up to the federations to take the tests of their top performers before and after and even randomly too to make sure where they all stand. But even last year the POA had conducted workshops and awareness programs during the National Games in November. We had asked all the federations to fill the forms and have the athletes fill them if they are taking any medications whatsoever, but none of the federations submitted the forms back to us."

The National Games were a prelude to Pakistan's SAG campaign as they took place in November last year, and the SAG were in December.

The official said that the POA had asked the federations to submit the information and forms before the Games too, before the teams left for Nepal, however, they never received any information the second time as well.

"The forms are given to the athletes, we had asked the federations to submit the forms back to us, but none of them provided us the forms or the records," said the official.

Meanwhile he said that the athletes at regional level know about doping and it is unrealistic for the national athletes to not know about the doping test and the lack of awareness about them.

"The athletes know what is wrong and right," said the official.

So far the AFP have set up a six-member inquiry committee and Wapda's Samiullah has admitted that he may have taken banned substance through a medication, and since he has been coming from an impoverished background from Fata he was unaware, whereas Ali and Naeem, both Army athletes have denied any wrongdoing, and have opted for Sample B of doping results and they have said, according to the AFP President Maj Gen (R) Akram Sahi, that they will pay for the sample B tests themselves.

An estimated cost of a doping test is $300 and testing every athlete is not possible, however the federations should test the top athletes and must follow the guidelines.

After the initial inquiry, with Samiullah admitting he took a medication and asking for pardon, the other two athletes are adamant that they will go for sample B, and the procedure, before getting to a final verdict may take time.

‘Nepal took almost six months to inform AFP’

AFP President Sahi has assured that he had warned the athletes of any doping or wrongdoing before the Games, and he is closely observing the proceedings of the inquiry committee, he admitted that the incident has brought shame to the country.

The medals, besides two golds and one bronze from Ali, Naeem and Samiullah respectively, two bronze medals in the relay competitions are not in doubt and will be stripped after complete findings and final verdict from World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"We had warned them strictly, one athlete has admitted and the other two are going for Sample B, but we have been talking to the athletes trying to find out what exactly happened, of course we will follow the guidelines from WADA, but for us we need to know if anyone else was involved too," said Sahi.

He added that Nepal took too long to inform the AFP about the tests.

"We have told them as well, and I'm saying it again that it is very embarrassing for us, they could have told us before too, why they have taken so long to reveal the results. We have asked the Nepal Olympic Committee of this delay. In fact if Covid-19 outbreak had not taken place these athletes could have competed in other events too, this has been an embarrassment for us, and the delay in informing us has not helped us," said Sahi.

When asked why athletes were not tested at home before going to Nepal for the Games, he said that each federation has their own resources, and even if they had tested them at home, what if the athlete had chosen to take any drug after landing in Nepal.

"There is a criticism, but I don't want to get into the politics, the key is that if an athlete had chosen to take anything in Nepal too, what could have been done?" he added.

On the other hand, all three athletes including 2016 Olympian Mehboob are from humble backgrounds, and Sahi acknowledged that the consequences of the controversy will hit the athletes badly.

"Of course they are all from humble backgrounds, Samiullah is at the level of a linesman in Wapda, of course they will be badly hit by this," he concluded.

The Inquiry committee has a meeting with athletes now that will take place soon.