Five Boxers fail dope tests in National School Games
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 19, 2012: The dope shame got bigger at the most basic level of Indian sports with eight more athletes, five of them boxers, testing positive for banned substances in the National School Games, taking the total number of drug cheats to 11 at the event.

The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) organised the Dope Control Programme during the event held between December 28 and January 3. The championship was organised jointly by the School Games Federation of India and the Director of Education (Sports) of Delhi.

"NADA had collected 81 samples in the events of Wrestling (30), Boxing (31) and Weightlifting (20).Results of the analysis of National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in respect of wrestlers had been received and 3 samples out of 30 have been found positive for prohibited substances (furosemide - Diuretics)," NADA said in a statement.

"The results of remaining 20 samples of Weightlifting and 30 samples of Boxing have also been received from NDTL.

Out of 20 samples of Weightlifting, 3 samples have found positive for Stanosolol THC (Marijuana) and out of 30 samples of Boxing 5 samples have come positive for Stanosolol THC (Marijuana), Methylhexaneamine, nandrolone substances," it added.

Out of the total 80 samples, results of 11 are positive.

The wrestlers who failed the tests were from schools of Punjab, UP and Maharashtra.

For weightlifting, the positive results came from the schools of Punjab and Delhi and for boxing the positive samples were found from the schools of Manipur, Punjab and Maharashtra.

"The total of 11 positive out of the 80 cases indicates a percentage of 14 per cent positive out of the total samples taken which is very high trend and is much higher than the national average of 4 per cent," the NADA statement read.

"This is indeed a very disturbing trend and a revelation that doping is prevalent in high numbers at the school level.

NADA is extremely concerned about this and has written to the School Games Federation and will also be taking up this matter with the Controlling Boards of Education of these schools apart from the National Level Federations of these sports," it added.

NADA will increase its school level awareness campaigns regarding doping and expects the National Federations and State Federations to take concrete steps to correct this menace.

"NADA has also decided that it will conduct doping tests during the Zonal and National Level Games organised by the various school education boards such as CBSE, ICSE and State Education Boards," NADA will also be conducting Dope Tests at Ludhiana (Guru Nanak Stadium) where the 'Athletics' event of the 57th National School Games is being held currently.

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