Friday 1 July 2011

Sports ministry to probe dope fiasco

The Union sports ministry will launch a probe into the drug fiasco in athletics that has virtually ended India's relay aspirations at theLondon Olympics. 

But it refused to hold the Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogorodnik, who is under intense media glare now, responsible for the mess. 

A day after the dope revelations, Sports Authority of India also took immediate steps to strengthen vigil against doping in national camps around the country. 

The steps include surprise checks of the athletes' rooms and education against doping, a move that National Anti-Doping Agency too is contemplating. 

The presence of the same performance-enhancing drug in four other athletes - 400m runners Juana Murmu and Tiana Maria Thomas, long jumper Harikrishnan and shot-putter Sonia, has stirred the ministry enough to wonder how high-profile track and field athletes have fallen prey to the malaise. 

The other aspect to be looked into is the recurrence of a phenomenon which first came to light last year, when at least a dozen sportspersons were caught for the abuse of Methylhexaneamine, a stimulant. 

"This time it is the steroid methandienone. This trend has to be probed. We will get to the bottom of this," sources told TOI. 

At the same time, the ministry is not inclined to indict Ogorodnik. "It is wrong to crucify someone without evidence. Yuri has been with the team even before the Commonwealth Games. How is it that none of the athletes were caught earlier? If he is responsible for what happened now, what stopped him from doing it then?" the sources questioned.

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