India faces dope shame before CWG

NEW DEHLI: Four Indian wrestlers and a shot-putter were suspended from next month’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi after failing drug tests. All five athletes tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant used widely as a nasal decongestant, according to Rahul Bhatnagar, who heads the National Anti-Doping Agency.

Three male wrestlers, Rajiv Tomar, Sumit Kumar and Masuam Khatri, female wrestler Gursharanpreet Kaur and male shot-putter Saurav Vij were suspended pending tests of their “B” samples. They were all thrown out of the national squads for the Commonwealth Games which begin on October 3.

Two other wrestlers and an athlete, who were not part of the Games squad, also tested positive, said Bhatnagar.

“It’s unfortunate these failed tests came just before the event,” said Bhatnagar. “But we have a no-tolerance policy towards that. They can get their ‘B’ tests done if they want.”

The tests were carried out during pre-Games trials and camps with the intention to name replacements in the respective squads. AFP

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2010.