On The Board In Testing Times

The scourge on doping has once again cast its murky shadow on world sport in the recent past. In the aftermath of the massive doping scandals in Russia and Kenya, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is tightening its rules for doping violations by athletes, even as the International Olympic Council (IOC) has barred Russia from the Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, this February.

Charges against Russia are particularly grave. It is alleged that the state 바카라�sponsored바카라� a doping programme that ran from 2011 to 2015, and that hundreds of its athletes took advantage of the 바카라�official patronage바카라�. Since 2002, the IOC has stripped over 50 Russians of their Olympic medals for doping violations.

Now, the proposed changes in the WADA rules, which the world body has not disclosed, may affect cricket as well, particularly the way the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gets dope tests done on its players. On being asked by WADA, the Union sports ministry has told the BCCI to let the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) personnel collect cricketers바카라� samples for testing. BCCI has been using a Sweden-based agency, International Doping Tests & Man­age­ment (ITDM), for collecting samples.

The BCCI has refused to change its process, saying that it doesn바카라�t fall under NADA바카라�s jurisdiction, as it is not a National Sports Federation (NSF), and that it is 바카라�only required to operate within the anti-doping rules and regulations set by the International Cricket Council (ICC)바카라�, which is a signatory to the WADA Code. All national cricket Boards implement the ICC Code, which is based on the WADA Code.

The sports ministry has now sent the BCCI reply to WADA, and has asked for guidance. 바카라�WADA wrote to the Indian sports minister, asking him to bring the Indian cricketers under NADA and do the testing etc. We asked the BCCI to cooperate with us and said that we would make a joint programme for testing cricketers, in-competition and out-of-competition,바카라� says Rahul Bhat­nagar, Union sports secretary and NADA vice-chairman.

The ministry has told the BCCI that if it doesn바카라�t cooperate 바카라�NADA may run the risk of becoming non-compliant with the WADA Code바카라�, while its cooperation would help it become fully compliant. 바카라�The BCCI, as usual, never replied to our letters [for some time]. We then said we would forcefully take the samples and that we would see when they try to stop us. We have now asked WADA to let us know the correct position and accordingly we will take action,바카라� says Bhatnagar.

WADA says that under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, NADA India has the testing authority over athletes who are nationals, residents, lice­nce-holders or members of sport organisations in India or are present in India. 바카라�The BCCI has prevented NADA India from conducting testing on athletes from the sport of cricket, and WADA is in the process of addressing this issue with the relevant anti-doping organisations within its Compliance Monitoring Pro­g­ram,바카라� a WADA spokesperson tells Outlook.

However, WADA바카라�s position is a bit str­a­nge, as the BCCI has been ICC Code-com­­pliant since 2011, so it바카라�s impossible that the world anti-doping body wasn바카라�t aware of it. Now, WADA, quite significa­ntly, says BCCI has 바카라�prevented바카라� NADA from testing, adding to the puzzle. On the other hand, ICC looks like adopting a wait-and-watch policy in this tussle between the sports ministry and the BCCI. 바카라�We [have] maintained that this is a domestic matter of the BCCI and, as such, the ICC will be unable to comment on this,바카라� it says.

Team India cricketers were tested for the first time at the 2003 World Cup. Later, the BCCI established an anti-­doping department, with Oly­m­­pian Dr Vece Paes heading it, and adopted the ICC Code in 2011. Now, the BCCI has its own anti-doping education programme and players are tested during the dom­estic tournaments and IPL. Only two Indians바카라�Delhi pacer Pradeep Sangwan and Baroda batsman Yusuf Pat­­han바카라�are among a global list of 22 cricketers who have tested positive so far.

There are two agencies that are hired by the ICC and BCCI바카라�ITDM and Australia-based Sports Drug Testing International (SDTI)바카라�for their education and sampling programmes, and both entities are recognised by WADA. So, that is not an issue.

Then why, wonders Doctor Ashok Ahuja, who has been part of BCCI바카라�s anti-doping programme and is associated with ITDM, is the ministry insisting that BCCI involve NADA. 바카라�It is not that the BCCI alone gets the sampling done from these agencies (ITDM and SDTI), or it is not that these agencies are running for BCCI alone. A whole lot of international sports federations also carry out their programmes through these agencies. So, what are NADA바카라�s objections to BCCI roping in these agencies?바카라� he asks.

In the absence of a detailed explanation from WADA바카라�it says it바카라�s 바카라�addressing the issue in collaboration with the relevant parties바카라�바카라�a few reasons for the imb­roglio are being cited by experts. One is that the government wants to 바카라�control바카라� the BCCI, which in turn says that it is independent, as it doesn바카라�t take any financial assistance from the government, unlike other federations.

The other reason could be that WADA is keen to tighten its rules after the Russian doping scandal. 바카라�After the doping scandal in Russia, Kenya and some other countries that led to 500-600 athletes being banned from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, WADA was at its wit바카라�s end as to how to handle this situation. In Russia and Kenya, officials were also involved in the scandal. So, to ensure that officials are not involved in what is called 바카라�state-sponsored doping바카라�, WADA may be insisting that the national anti-­doping agencies should handle the testing programme,바카라� says a BCCI source.

P.S.M. Chandran, who works as a doping control officer for the BCCI and is also NADA바카라�s independent observer and a resource person for its anti-doping education programme, says the BCCI is fol­l­­owing the correct procedure. He ref­rains from commenting on whether government wants to control cricket, but he points out the deficiencies in NADA. 바카라�There are shortcomings in it, no doubt about that. It is ill-equipped, its office works in a temporary way바카라�it is trying to get office space for years and is currently sharing a crammed place with other government departments in Pragati Vihar Hostel in Delhi바카라�it is under-­staffed and doesn바카라�t have many doctors. Ever­y­thing is not perfect with NADA,바카라� Dr Cha­ndran tells Outlook. Comparing the standards of NADA and ITDM, a source pointed out another shortcoming in the government owned agency. While NADA pays around Rs 1,000 to a sample collecting official for a day바카라�s work, ITDM pays Rs 6,000. Also, all ITDM officials are medical graduates, while that바카라�s not the case with NADA.

Whatever may be the final result of this curious tussle with WADA at its centre, the BCCI says it is already working with the government in a way, since it uses its National Doping Testing Laboratory (NDTL) for testing players바카라� samples, coll­ected by IDTM. 바카라�IDTM sends the colle­c­ted samples for testing to a WADA-­­­­accredited laboratory, viz. NDTL. Since the CEO of NDTL is the Union secretary (sports), Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the dope test-ing for the BCCI is conducted under the aegis of the Department of Sports,바카라� says BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in a letter sent to Rahul Bhatnagar. Johri also points out that since 2013 the BCCI has 바카라�consistently reported the highest number of sample testing in the world amongst all cricket Boards바카라�.

Nevertheless, the prickly issue has to be resolved soon, before the IPL begins in April. Right now, neither the BCCI or the sports ministry is ready to budge an inch. The tug of war as to who will conduct dop­­ing tests on cricketers is at its tautest.