local sportspersons and coaches were given a chance to learn about Anti-Doping issues by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) at Ranchi University (RU) on Thursday. The first ever kind of programme was organised here as part of RU’s selection among the 18 universities of India working for the upliftment of sports.
Interestingly, NADA in the guidelines of the present year has decided to take action against the coach and team manager of player involved in doping. Participants including college students under the sports quota and coaches attended the workshop to learn more about such amended regulations.
“Players of individual sports events like weightlifting, boxing and athletics are vulnerable to drugs enhancing performance which is unethical and termed as doping. In the long term, it proves harmful. As per the World Anti-Doping Agency, it is now mandatory to punish coach and manager of the player indulged in taking such drugs. Also, it is important for players to carry their medical profile to avoid any charges on doping,” said NADA Project Officer Ankush Gupta.
He suggested the players to make sure that they mention the medicines taken in the past one week while filling up the doping test form in a tournament. “This declaration will help them in avoiding doping charges,” said the Project Officer.
Gupta focused on the techniques to be followed by players during the test. “During doping test, players are directed to collect the urine sample and deposit it for pathological observation. NADA is now deploying experts who will supervise the players in toilet on how to collect and submit the urine,” he said.
Md Nasim Khan, a Kabaddi Coach in State Police requested NADA officials including Gupta and Coordinator BK Sinha to avail a copy of medicines that should be avoided by sports talents.
“Earlier, doping tests were held only in national championships. Only those players participating at such level used to be explained about these concepts. But, now it is conducted even in national camps. In such scenario, most of the players are unaware about the medicines because they are directly chosen from state level performances. It is due to this reason, NADA is organizing awareness programmes in selected universities,” said Khan.
Students from Ranchi College, Marwari College, Gossner College and various post graduate departments under RU denoted the workshop helpful. “Besides, field practice, we are never updated about the prohibitions and complexities related to doping. It was for the first time, we got the scope of witnessing an open discussion with the NADA representatives,” said Ishaan Thakur, an undergraduate student of Mathematics (Honours) in Marwari College who is also a cricketer in the Ranchi District Cricket Association.
Similarly, Anu Yadav, a former undergraduate student of the same college cum a Throwball player of the state said, “Students in state universities are hardly aware about detailed compositions of the medicines which should be prevented. The workshop proved a learning experience.”
The workshop was inaugurated by RU Vice Chancellor Ramesh Kumar Pandey and coordinated by Pro-Vice Chancellor M Raziuddin, Dean of Students Welfare SC Gupta and Coordinator Vocational Studies AK Choudhary apart from the NADA officials.