Doping discovers rower scapegoat, coach is missing

Doping in sports in the country reared its head again, this time in a big way, when 22 National Games participants tested positive for drugs...

Doping in sports in the country reared its head again, this time in a big way, when 22 National Games participants tested positive for drugs and rower Lakshman Singh, who won a bronze at the Games, was banned for life.

The rower8217;s test report confirmed that he had used a banned substance, Nandrolone, at the National Games held in Hyderabad last December. Both his samples tested positive.

In the case of the others 8212; these include 12 medal winners apart from Lakshman 8212; names have been witheld until April 23 when results of the second samples will be known.

But there8217;s already buzz that Lakshman was a convenient 8216;8216;scapegoat8217;8217; because the Rowing Federation of India RFI, with a poor track record of checking drugs in the sport, was desperately trying to shield the coach who had accompanied Lakshman to the Games. The RFI claimed the person who was appointed as coach for the Games was not the real coach. Even four months after the tests were condcted, RFI claimed it didn8217;t know the identity of Lakshman8217;s 8216;real8217; coach despite the fact that the rower won a bronze medal there.

RFI secretary CP Singh Deo said his federation was still clueless about who Lakhman8217;s coach was. 8216;8216;The person who went to Hyderabad as Lakshman8217;s coach is not his real coach. We are now trying to find out who the real coach is and we will then conduct an inquiry into his role,8217;8217; Deo told The Indian Express.

A top official of the Indian Olympic Association IOA said the rower was being made a scapegoat. 8216;8216;The life ban is a severe punishment for a first offence,8217;8217; pointed out the official.

There appears to be little chance that Lakhsman will get an opportunity within the country to prove his innocence. The tests can only be challenged in a court of law since they were conducted at the Sports Authority of India8217;s anti-doping laboratory which is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee IOC.

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The rower tested positive for Nandrolone in both 8216;A8217; and 8216;B8217; samples tested at the SAI laboratory in Delhi. Asked if the RFI had offered an option to Lakshman to get his samples tested at an internationally-recognised laboratory, Deo replied in the negative. 8216;8216;I am not aware of it but I will check with the local association.8217;8217;

Lakshman8217;s only hope is a review of the decision by rowing8217;s international body. Matt Smith, executive director of the International Federation of Rowing Association, said they would review the decision once they get an official intimation from the RFI. 8216;8216;We will be reviewing the decision after hearing from RFI,8217;8217; Smith told The Indian Express from Lausanne in Switzerland.

The RFI has a poor track record of checking performance-enhancing drugs in sport. Dope tests on rowers in the country have been introduced only recently. Pointing to poor anti-doping facilities in the country, Deo said: 8216;8216;It8217;s only recently that we have started conducting dope tests on rowers.8217;8217;

But as in the past, this time too sportspersons appear to be the targets and no inquiry is being initiated into the role of their coaches and officials. In the case of athlete Sunita Rani too, the Amateur Athletic Federation of India did not probe the role of her coach Renu Kohli.