Thirteen of the 29 probables scheduled to play in the World Cup kabaddi Punjab 2010 have tested positive, forcing the Punjab Sports Directorate to call for additional trials before the tournament begins at different centres in Punjab on April 3.
The Chairman of the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee for the World Cup, Dr. Manmohan Singh, made the announcement regarding the ‘positive tests' at Ludhiana on Monday.
He said the players were served notices and were provisionally suspended from taking part in any sport till their cases were disposed of eventually.
The probables were drawn largely from Punjab for this competition which was the ‘circle style' or Punjab style kabaddi.
No National probables
The President of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), J.S. Gehlot, said that the team should not be confused with the regular Indian team.
“None of our 36 probables who are part of the National camp is in this group of players,” said Gehlot, speaking from Jaipur. The camp was yet to resume after the South Asian Games, he added.
Gehlot said that the tournament was being fully funded by the Punjab Government and the latter was also conducting the coaching camp.
Open trials were held on March 20 to select the Indian line-up that would compete in the 10-nation tournament. Thirty-five players were initially selected after trials and of the 29 who chose to remain in the camp, 13 tested positive.
Gehlot said that it was made clear well before the trials that all the chosen players would be put through dope tests.
“The Indian kabaddi teams had been undergoing dope tests in international competitions since 1990 and not a single player had come ‘positive' to date,” said Gehlot.
