Doping Scandal: Panel Gives Clean Chit to Ashwini Akkunji, 7 Others
New Delhi, Dec 11 (Indian Express): The one-man committee headed by retired high court chief justice Mukul Mudgal is understood to have given a clean chit to the eight athletes who had tested positive for prohibited substances during out-of-competition testing in July this year.
Sources said the committee concluded that the athletes had consumed ginseng — a permissible supplement — which was contaminated with prohibited substances. And that this was “accidental’’, not a deliberate act of doping.
The sports ministry appointed Mudgal in the wake of the “doping scandal’’ involving quarter-milers Mandeep Kaur, Ashwini Akkunji, Sini Jose — who were part of the 4x400 metres relay gold winning quartet at the Commonwealth and Asian Games — Priyanka Panwar, Juana Murmu and Tiana Mary, plus long jumper Hari Krishnan and shot putter Sonia.
The athletes were suspended and the services of their Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogorodnik were terminated.
Mudgal’s conclusion doesn’t allow the six women runners to participate in international meets just yet. The National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) disciplinary panel, headed by chairman Dinesh Dayal, has heard the athletes and its verdict will be out soon. This will decide the participation of the athletes at next year’s London Games.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken had said that at least four of them were “medal probables’’ for the 2012 London Olympics.
Sources said the Mudgal committee revealed that samples of ginseng recovered from the “suspect’’ athletes and tested at the National Drug Testing Laboratory were “contaminated’’ with two prohibited drugs — methandienone and stanozolol. While ginseng is permissible for frequent use as a supplement for athletes, traces of these drugs remain in the bloodstream for weeks.
Interviews conducted with the athletes, coaches and officials showed that the “contaminated’’ ginseng was purchased during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and then sold by Ogorodnik to the Indian athletes. But the coach and the athletes said they were unaware that this ginseng was spiked.
In his report, Justice Mudgal is believed to have highlighted the “absolutely clean track record” of the athletes and the fact that no discrepancies were found in the recorded version of events which they and their coach narrated. Also, the presence of “identical contaminants” in all tested samples and the fact that the dope-testing was done just prior to the Asian Championships in Japan also went in their favour.
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