PUNE: The team assembled by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) tested 205 young performers in five days of competition at the second Khelo India Youth Games, in progress at the Balewadi sports complex, here.
Events are also held in adjacent venues and boys hockey is staged in MHAL turf facility in Mumbai.
“The target plan is 400 across different disciplines. Among those tested, 193 urine samples and 12 blood samples are with us,” said NADA Director-General Dr. Naveen Agarwal.
The samples are couriered daily to a NADA laboratory in New Delhi.
“If any of the samples turn up positive for presence of banned substance, a confirmation test is conducted. The athlete is informed and the respective National Sports Federation (NSF) is alerted,” he said in a chat from New Delhi.
Dr. Agarwal was here for the anti-doping awareness initiative launch. The national agency has a 50-member team, supported by a panel of doctors and nurses from Government Medical College, Pune, trained by NADA for KIYG work.
Dope Control Officers from outside are involved and their work is monitored by independent observers.
Athletics, badminton, judo, gymnastics and wrestling events are over by day six, U-17 and 21 participants in ongoing events keep competing, and new athletes arrive. Responding to a query if every medallist is tested, he replied: “We select athletes based on positions in the event, as per a test plan. The positions is pre-determined and any athlete getting that placing is tested.”
NADA also conducted out-of-competition testing before the Games started.
“The out-of-competition tests were picked up at random and also on the basis of intelligence about certain participants,” Dr. Agarwal said.
Khelo India School Games, conducted last year in the capital, saw 12 positive dope tests from 377 collected. The lab takes 10-15 days to submit the report. Confirmatory tests are also required and it takes almost a month for a positive test report to come. The athlete, his/ her federation and event organisers are notified.”
He added: “When the result management was conducted, most of them were not aware how the substances entered their body. It was unintentional doping in most of cases. We realised the necessity to educate the youth, many are India’s future champions.
“KIYC 2019 is the next chance we got to make U-17 and 19 age groups aware at an early stage about doping dangers. Testing and awareness workshop will hopefully reduce doping cases.”
