The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed against the decision of the National Anti Doping Disciplinary panel (NADDP) to impose a 10-month suspension on a BSF judoka.
The WADA appeal before the National Anti-Doping Appeal panel (NADAP) seeks a two-year ban of Sapna Devi, who tested positive for clenbuterol at the all-India Police Games in Jammu in March last year.
The case was disposed of by an NADDP panel headed by Sudhir Nandrajog on January 30 last, giving Devi a suspension till the time of the decision from her provisional suspension of March 21, 2011.
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The panel ruled that the athlete had established grounds for reduction of ineligibility period under Articles 10.4 and 10.5.1 and 10.5.2 as she had taken prescription medicines that contained clenbuterol.
Other anabolic agent
Clenbuterol comes under ‘other anabolic agents' in the Prohibited List and cannot be dealt with under Article 10.4 (specified substances).
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Under the “no significant fault or negligence” rule (10.5.2) also a suspension cannot be reduced by more than half of the normal sanction.
In this case, one year would have been half of normal.
Athletes are supposed to take a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for legitimate medical use of a banned substance, failing which they normally face the doping charge even if a prescription is produced at the hearing stage. — Special Correspondent