The National Anti-Doping Agency Appeal Panel (NADAP) has provided relief to swimmer Richa Mishra in a methylhexaneamine (MHA) case just as it had done in several other similar cases in recent months.
Accordingly, Richa’s two-year suspension, due to end on Tuesday (Nov. 4) was deemed to have ended on the date of the order (October 8), giving her the benefit of less than a month.
The order in fact states that her suspension was to have ended on Oct. 18 and the panel was giving her the benefit of 10 days in order to help her compete in the trials for the National swimming championships, beginning in Kolkata from Nov. 12.
The panel headed by Justice (retd.) M.L. Varma came to the conclusion that just as in other MHA cases, Richa was entitled to a reduction of 319 days as “delays not attributable to the athlete” under Article 10.9.3. of the NADA rules.
The Richa case decision by the appeal panel brings to an end the long-drawn MHA cases of 2010.
However, unlike in several other MHA cases, the panel has kept pending a ruling on the annulment of her results from sample collection date as ordered by the disciplinary panel.
Richa had won 11 gold medals in the National Games in Ranchi in 2011 and if the order related to annulment of all results is not revoked she would lose all the awards and cash prizes that she would have won during this period including that for the Ranchi Games.
Richa’s counsel Parth Goswami argued that the Delhi swimmer should be given relief in respect of the disqualification of results imposed under Article 10.8.
It will be interesting to see whether the NADAP makes a concession in Richa’s case, which will come up for hearing on the question of annulment of results on Nov. 10.
