Renjith Maheswary’s anxious wait for the coveted Arjuna award has got longer with the Union Sports Ministry taking more time to reach a decision on the triple jumper’s eligibility for the honour.
Late on Monday evening, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had informed the Ministry that it had no record of the athlete being suspended for any doping violation in the past.
Ministry sources said on Tuesday that no decision had been taken on the issue.
The Ministry had withheld the award to Maheswary due to a media report which stated that the Kerala athlete had tested positive for banned stimulant ephedrine and suspended for three months in 2008.
Maheswary had claimed that he was never suspended for ephedrine.
Sports Secretary P.K. Deb, who is heading an enquiry into the issue, had said that the athlete did not consume the substance deliberately.
