Syringe controversy: hearing today

The suspense continues and the large media contingent present to cover the Commonwealth Games is on the edge ever since a local daily on Saturday reported that used syringes were found in the athletes’ village here.

The needle of suspicion has ever since been pointed at India though an official word is yet to be made out on this matter of grave concern.

Stories, as they have gained momentum, have it that a cleaning woman had alerted the officials after used syringes were found in a bottle and they were picked up by anti-doping officials from near the residential quarters of the Indian boxing team.

Ajay Narang, an Indian official, went on record denying the involvement of the team and added that it was some Indian athletes who had found the bottle and handed it over the officials for scrutiny.

Those present at the daily media briefing on Monday tried to get to the CGF CEO David Grevemberg and the Gold Coast Organising Committee chairman, Peter Beattie, for precise information.

Grevemberg disclosed that the CGF was in receipt of a report from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation team and the same had been passed to the CGF Medical Commission for further action as it was found out to be a breach of CGF’s ‘no-needle and no-doping’ policy. “The Medical Commission after holding further consultation has summoned delegation leaders of the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) for a meeting.

“We hope that the report from our Medical Commission will contain the testimony of the summoned CGA and that will be put forward to the CGF court for further deliberations and to recommend sanctions, if required,” he said.

Late on Monday, the CGF stated the its commission had concluded its investigation into the alleged violation of the CGF’s no-needle policy.

The findings will now be escalated to the CGF court which will conduct a hearing on Tuesday morning, before arriving at a final decision.

The court will be presided over by Richard Powers (Canada) and have David Harry (Guernsey) and Patrick Fepuleai (Samoa) as its members.

The release also clarified that the matter was not defined as anti-doping violation, but rather as a infringement of the CGF’s no-needle policy, which has been introduced to ensure best medical practices.