In an unprecedented incident at Lucknow’s Sports Authority of India (SAI), three weightlifters, including a national-level medallist and a female athlete, have faced suspension and campus debarment due to their involvement with banned substances.
These three individuals had been under the scrutiny of SAI’s internal team for the past four to five months, exhibiting suspicious activities since their induction into the SAI center. A security guard even witnessed one of the weightlifters catching a packet of banned substances thrown over the boundary into the campus.
The National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) intervention became crucial when their blood tests, conducted last month, revealed traces of prohibited drugs. The female weightlifter, originally from Lucknow and previously training at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium center, had shifted to the SAI center.
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Sanjay Saraswat, the executive director of SAI’s Lucknow center, stated, “Following a report from NADA, all three lifters have been banned and debarred with immediate effect, and we have recommended to higher authorities for their permanent removal from the campus.” He emphasized that the internal committee, including a sports science expert, had flagged the suspicious activities earlier, validating their concerns through routine checks on items brought in from weekly outings.
The investigation revealed that one weightlifter received the banned substance from her fiancé, accused of supplying doping agents in the state capital. Meanwhile, the two male lifters obtained the prohibited substance through a courier service.
Saraswat highlighted the rigorous routine checks on the belongings of all 169 athletes in various disciplines under the National Centre of Excellence. Additionally, weekly classes on anti-doping campaigns are conducted, fostering regular interaction between coaches and athletes to raise awareness about the consequences of doping.
-IANS
