New Delhi, August 26 (PTI): Weightlifter Kunjarani Devi has tested positive for a banned drug in the senior Asian weightlifting championships 2001 held from July 12 to 17 at Jeon Ju, South Korea, highly-placed sources in the Indian Weightlifting Federation told PTI here today.

We have received an intimation from the international body saying she has been suspended for six months from all international events.

They have informed us that if Kunjarani wants her blood sample to be tested, she must submit in writing by Wednesday (August 29), the sources said.

Kunjarani, who was part of a three-member Indian team cleared personally by sports minister Uma Bharati for participation at the event, had won the gold in the 48 kg category.

The results now stand annulled and the Asian Weightlifting Federation has asked IWF to return her medal immediately.

Balbeer Singh Bhatia, one of the two members of the ad-hoc committee presently running IWF, when contacted, said, �our medal chances for the Afro-Asian games has received a major blow with this sad news.

She was our biggest hope as she had been performing consistently of late.� The IWF, thrown into disarray after its chief Gopal Kanra was accused of embezzlement of funds, was revived on August 9 after remaining suspended form April 17 to July 31. A two member ad-hoc committee comprising Bhatia and RR Singh was set up to run the body.

Bhatia squarely blamed the Sports Authority of India coach, SC Goyel, for dereliction of duty.

It was primarily the coach�s job to see that all the members of the Indian team were tested before leaving the country, he said.

According to the rules, every sportspersons, before leaving the country for any international event, should be tested.

In this case all three members- Kunjarani Devi, Prtima Kumari and Nandani Devi � were here in Delhi for five days and the coach should have arranged for the mandatory testing, he said.

There has been an instance, Bhatia said, when a sportsperson returned a positive test on the day he was to leave for World Weightlifting Championships and was subsequently not allowed to participate.

Comment