Narsingh failed a dope test in 2016, which put paid to his Olympic hopes. (Source: File)
India dropped from third place to sixth on the World Anti Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2016 list of offenders. As per WADA statistics, released on Wednesday, 69 Indian athletes violated the anti-doping regulations, a substantial drop compared to 2015, when 120 sportspersons were found guilty of using banned drugs.
However, the sharp drop in numbers comes with a caveat. The number of urine samples collected by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) was halved in 2016. According to NADA, its dope control officers collected 3,196 urine samples that calendar year whereas in 2015, the number was 4,734. Similarly, in 2014 the number of urine samples collected was 4,045 and the year before, it was 4,073. It must be noted that in 2013, 2014 and 2015, India were third on the list of shame.
NADA claims the lesser violations in 2016 is because of its awareness programme. “I am happy that the number of doping violations has decreased. We have been conducting a lot of awareness programmes and it’s showing results. But we need to do even more,” NADA director general Naveen Agarwal said. But a bigger reason for this is the change in approach towards the testing process. Instead of randomly collecting athletes’ urine or blood samples, like it earlier did, the agency has put more emphasis on ‘target testing’ over the last two years. “NADA is depending a lot on intelligence gathering now and working in collaboration with the federations and SAI, where the athletes train. The past dope results of athletes are being monitored as well. So instead of conducting unplanned tests, the focus is on sport and athletes where the risk is higher,” a sports ministry official said.
The decline in sample collection
However, this approach has resulted in a decline in the number of samples collected. Curiously, in 2016, Niti Aayog had set a target of collecting 5,000 urine samples in a bid to catch more athletes. NADA, in response, increased the number to 7,000. Eventually, they have settled for less than half of that.
And in the process, they have been accused of skipping important tournaments, especially in sports like athletics and weightlifting, where the number of cases are very high.
The ministry official, however, defended NADA, saying they were working as per the intelligence gathered from officers on ground. “They don’t need to go everywhere. Tests are being conducted regularly in sports where the past record is poor. But lesser number of tests has no relation to fewer doping cases,” the official insisted.
From third to sixth
Break-up of WADA’s latest list of dope offenders
Samples collected: 229,514
Positive cases: 1,326 from 113 countries and 109 disciplines.
Break-up positive cases: Male: 1,046. Female: 280 female.
Most tested: Football (33227), Track and field (31,433), Cycling (23,132).
Most dope cheats: Track and field (205), Bodybuilding (183), Cycling (165).
Most offenders nations: Italy (147), France (86), USA (76).
India’s position: 6th, 69 violations.
Break-up of positive cases: Athletics (21), Weightlifting (14), Powerlifting (14)