Source: The Sangai Express
New Delhi, September 29:
Sending out a strong message to dope offenders, the Indian Olympic Association today imposed life bans on three top weightlifters - Pratima Kumari, Sanamacha Chanu and S Sunaina - and national coach Pal Singh Sandhu.
The association also warned of handing out similar punishment to any athlete who tests positive in future.
"The decision to impose the maximum punishment on the offenders was taken as the doping scandal has brought disrepute to the nation in the international arena," IOA President Suresh Kalmadi told reporters here.
Kalmadi also announced that IOA has decided to black list Belarussian coach Leonid Taranenko, who had accompanied the weightlifters to the Athens Olympics.
"We will never use him again".
He also said that IOA will write to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) asking it to take severe action against Taranenko.
While Pratima and Chanu tested positive during the Athens Olympics last month, Sunaina was caught during the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan in April.
The three incidents also prompted the IWF to impose a one year ban on the Indian Weightlifting Federation.
"The federation had a choice - to face the ban or pay a fine of USD 50,000 but they have decided not to pay the fine and to clean up the system in the next one year," Kalmadi said.
He said in future if any athlete competing in meets like Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games tests positive, they would be banned for life immediately.
Kalmadi said the action against the offenders followed the report submitted by the two-member committee, which looked into the doping controversy in Athens.
"The committee, comprising Brigadier (Retd) K P Singh Deo and Dr Manmohan Singh, said in its 50-page report that strict action should be taken against the weightlifters, doctors and technicians to ensure such incidents do not repeat in the future," Kalmadi said adding "but we won't be make the report public".
The IOA President said that it will soon take steps to set up a National Anti Doping Authority (NADA) as per the World Anti-Doping Agency's norms and asked the government to sign the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sport.
"We urge the government to sign the declaration at the earliest.
It must be signed immediately.
Internationally, it would be held against us," he said.
He also asked the government to expedite the process of the SAI Dope Control Centre getting proper accreditation from the WADA.
"The SAI laboratory should be accredited as early as possible, at the most within the next six months," he said.
Asked what the foreign coach told the committee when he deposed before it, Singh Deo said, "he (Taranenko) said he never advised any one to take drugs".
Asked why more officials were not brought to book, Singh Deo said, "athletes are penalised because of their personal liability".