NADA assures BCCI’s concerns will be addressed

CHENNAI: It’s something that all sports federations in India follow. But the BCCI had reservations against coming under the wings of the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA). Officially, the reasons cited included lack of faith in the agency’s ways and methods of sample collection. There was also a chain of thought that since the BCCI already adheres to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines, what is the need to come under the NADA as well.

The richest board in the world had let the job of collecting urine samples from players in domestic matches to a company, apprehensive that the NADA could not be trusted to do a foolproof job. With reluctance, they relented on Monday and said it might come under NADA with a clause that this would be the arrangement for six months. If not satisfied after this period, the BCCI can go back to its old ways.

The NADA said it was yet to hear about the tripartite agreement, but added that the cricket board should not have problems. 

“I am not aware of today’s development. But the BCCI is welcome to work with NADA. The agency will address whatever concerns they may have,” NADA director general Navin Agarwal told TNIE.

“It will be a six-month tripartite agreement between ICC, BCCI and NADA wherein the samples of our registered pool of players will be going to the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) through NADA, unlike now when the Sweden-based IDTM does the sample collection. 

“If we are not convinced, we won’t renew the agreement,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.
The WADA had told the International Cricket Council that the BCCI has to come under NADA’s ambit so that the world body remains compliant. It was intimated to the BCCI during the recent ICC Board meeting in Dubai. So the BCCI decided to comply with a rider that its own persons will collect the samples and hand them over to NADA.

“We have no faith in NADA’s Dope Control Officers. There has been too many examples of inefficient handling of samples by them,” the official said. “We would be providing samples as per mandatory minimum requirement which is 10 per cent. It would include top national cricketers and a lot of first-class cricketers,” he added.

Coaching contracts renewal

The contracts of coaching staff of the senior men’s team get over after the World Cup. It has been learnt that these will be renewed up to next year’s World T20 in Australia, with the provision of extending it for another year. It was discussed at the Committee of Administrator (CoA) meeting on Monday.

While Ravi Shastri is the chief coach, Bharathi Arun (bowling), Sanjay Bangar (batting) and R Sridhar (fielding) are the assistants. Sridhar was a bit reluctant initially to renew his contract, but it was learnt that he has been persuaded to stay. All can expect a raise along with the new contracts. Shankar Basu, the 
physical trainer, might be taking a break.