Rein in widespread doping menace quickly
India's low ranking on most sports-related lists is disappointing enough. But if there is one thing that hurts more than, say, a country of a billion-plus people losing a football match to a tiny island nation that has less than 1,60,000 people, it is this: India is close to the top when it comes to the number of the sportspersons caught doping.
According to the 2013 Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report, released by the World Anti-Doping Agency on June 15, India has the third largest number of errant sportspersons, after Russia, where 212 tested positive for banned substances, Turkey, where 155 were caught. For India, the figure of shame stands at 91. This doesn't come as a surprise.
Every few years, a doping scandal erupts, claiming to shock the conscience of the nation but, before one can even get to the bottom of the story, it has moved out of the spotlight. In fact, it was just two months ago that as many as 21 weightlifters, performing at different levels and tournaments across the country, tested positive for banned substances. In April, the Indian Weightlifting Federation temporarily suspended them all. In 2011, eight athletes were found doping, and it was considered to be a big scandal at the time because three of the offending athletes were part of the successful quartet that had won the gold medal in the 4x400m relay races during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
The athletes were suspended for some time, their Ukrainian coach Yuriy Ogorodnik sacked, and a few officials taken to task. But just four years later, the Athletics Federation of India has now laid out the red carpet for Mr Ogorodnik — who, by the way, deserves credit for India's stellar performance in 2010. In short, India's doping history goes back a long time, possibly to the 1982 Asian Games that were held in this country.