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Journalism of Courage
Indian athletics’ biggest doping scandal involving six top women athletes,including three Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallists,ended with the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sports awarding an enhanced ban of two years on them.
The world’s highest sports tribunal upheld International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) appeal to increase the ban period of quartermilers Ashwini Akkunji,Mandeep Kaur,Sini Jose,Juana Murmu,Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas from one to two years.
Their ban period will start from the day of provisional suspension slapped on them by the NADA last year.
“The appeals filed by the IAAF against the decisions taken by Indian Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel on 23 December 2011 in relation to the following runners Ms Mandeep Kaur,Ms Jauna Murmu,Ms Ashwini,Ms Panwar,Ms Mary Thomas and Ms Jose have been upheld,” the CAS said in its ruling.
“Ms Mandeep Kaur,Ms Jauna Murmu,Ms Ashwini,Ms Panwar,Ms Mary Thomas and Ms Jose are all declared ineligible for a period of two years starting from the date of the award (17 July 2012),given credit of the period of their previous period of ineligibility and subsequent provisional suspension already served,” the ruling said.
The decision of the CAS,delivered last night in Lausanne by Mark Hovell of United Kingdom,is final and no appeal lies against its decision.
Three of the six athletes were present at the hearing held on Monday while the other three pleaded their case via video conference.
Ashwini will also be stripped of the gold she had won in the 400m race in the National Inter-State Championships held in Bangalore in June last year while Mandeep and Juana would be stripped of the silver and bronze they had won in the same event.
Tiana Mary will also have to part with the gold she had won as a member of Kerala’s 4X400m gold-winning relay quartet.
“Furthermore,all competitive results obtained by Ms Mandeep Kaur from 25 May 2011,by Ms Jauna Murmu from 26 May 2011,by Ms Ashwini and Ms Panwar from 27 June 2011 and by Ms Thomas and Ms Jose from 12 June 2011 until the commencement of their previous period of ineligibility shall be disqualified,with all resulting consequences,in accordance with IAAF Rule 40.8,” the CAS said.
Ashwini,Mandeep and Sini were part of the Indian 4X400m relay quartet that won gold in 2010 Commonwealth Games here and the Asian Games in Guangzhou a month later.
Ashwini,24,had also won a gold in 400m hurdles in the 2010 Asian Games while Mandeep,also 24,was a member of the Indian 4x400m relay-winning team in the 2006 Doha Asian Games. Ashwini and Priyanka would serve ban till July 3 next year as they were provisionally suspended on July 4 last year. Mandeep and Juana will be banned till June 23 next year while Sini and Mary Thomas will serve ban till June 30 next year. In December last year,a NADA Disciplinary Panel had handed a reduced penalty of one-year ban on the ground that the athletes were not found guilty of intentionally taking the banned substances. First time dope offender normally gets the maximum penalty of two-year ban.
Dayal had ruled that the date of suspension will start immediately but any period under provisional suspension would be credited.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the NADA Disciplinary Panel’s decision,asking to increase the ban from one to two years.
The NADA Appeals’ Panel not only upheld the disciplinary panel’s decision to ban for just one year but also ruled that the ban period will start from the day of collection of samples. That was done to give the athletes a chance to qualify for the London Olympics.
The IAAF then filed an appeal last month before the CAS challenging NADA Appeal Panel’s decision,stating that the athletes should not be treated leniently but should be handed the maximum ban of two years.
