India shot putter Inderjeet Singh, who blamed his recent failed dope test on sabotage, told mid-day on Thursday that if the ongoing probe goes against him, he may leave the country
Inderjeet Singh
India shot putter Inderjeet Singh, who blamed his recent failed dope test on sabotage, told mid-day on Thursday that if the ongoing probe goes against him, he may leave the country. The Haryana athlete, who qualified for the Olympics with a throw of 20.65m at the Federation Cup in May last year, could miss his trip to Rio after his B sample also returned positive for banned substances on August 2.
Inderjeet Singh
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The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) informed the reigning Asian shot put champion that his A sample had tested positive for dope on June 29. Thereafter, the 28-year-old has been running helter-skelter to clear his name off any wrongdoing, with time running out as the shot put event at Rio is scheduled for August 18.
“I have not been practicing ever since I got the terrible news about my tests. I’m currently in Delhi and have been very busy completing the legal formalities for the probe. I plan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi too to seek his help. But if the probe goes against me, I may give up sport and might even leave the country,” said Inderjeet yesterday, alleging discrepancies in the NADA dope report.
According to Inderjeet, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had informed him that his tests were negative. “In an email from AFI dated July 26, I was informed that the test conducted on June 29 is negative. But an email from NADA dated August 5 said that the same test is positive. These are conflicting reports,” added Inderjeet.
NADA director general Navin Agarwal has refuted Inderjeet’s claim of any discrepancy in the National Dope Testing Laboratory’s (NDTL) reports. “Where is the discrepancy? The NDTL can give two reports, one preliminary and the other final.
The preliminary report may say there was no banned substance. It (preliminary report) is a test of limited scope. It may not detect some substance. The final test may detect banned substances because it’s a more detailed analysis and more sophisticated,” Agarwal told PTI yesterday.
Meanwhile, Inderjeet’s camp is hoping for a hearing within a day or two. “We are awaiting a few more reports from NADA which should come tonight,” said a source close to the shot putter.
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