Indian Athletics' Dope Cheats

December 22, 2013

Indian_AthleticsNew Delhi, Dec 22: Doping shame and administrative goof-ups dominated the Indian athletics scene with the hosting of Asian Championships for only the second time in its history providing the only silver lining in an otherwise disappointing year.

Athletics remained one of the top two disciplines which produced the most number of dope cheats in the tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency with 23 from track and field returning positive.

India also faced embarrassment just a day before the start of the July 3-7 Asian Championships in Pune when shot-putter P Udaya Laxmi had to be pulled out after it came to be known that she had returned positive for stimulant methylhexaneamine in a test conducted by NADA during National Inter-State Championships in Chennai in June.

The AFI faced further shame as it tried to include quartermiler Ashwini Akkunji into the women's 4x400 relay team, just a few days after she ended her two-year ban period for a doping offence in 2011.

The technical delegate of the Championships politely rejected India's request.

National record holder triple jumper Renjith Maheswary found himself embroiled in a controversy, due to a five-year old doping incident, which eventually stopped him from being honoured with the Arjuna Award in humiliating circumstances just hours before the award ceremony.

After days of agonising wait, the Sports Ministry found out that Maheswary indeed failed a dope test during the Kochi Nationals in 2008.

The Sports Ministry came down hard on the Athletics Federation of India for failing to furnish critical information about Maheswary's dope flunk and the apparent suppression of facts related to a doping violation in its recommendation of the athlete for Arjuna Award in 2011, 2012 and this year.

Initially, the AFI was in denial mode even about the positive test, but informed the Ministry later that there indeed was a dope violation at the Kochi Nationals, though it could not locate the files.

A letter the AFI wrote to the Railway Sports Promotion Board -- Maheswary's employers -- in January 2009, informing it of the suspension of the athlete, turned out to be the most authentic piece of evidence in the complicated case.

Maheswary's case came just a month after another major administrative goof-up by the AFI during the August 16-28 Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China. 17 Indian track and field athletes were thrown out after the AFI sent over-age participants.

Participants in athletics and weightlifting were required to be born on or after January 1, 1997 though the age criteria for other disciplines were different.

The AFI officials, despite the competition manual clearly stating that the participants should be of Under-17, included 17 over-age athletes -- those born in 1996, and they were disqualified by the organisers.

A furious Sports Authority of India asked an explanation and demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh it had spent for the travel expenses of the disqualified athletes.

On the brighter side, India hosted the 20th Asian Championships in Pune, for only the second time after New Delhi hosted the continent's top event in 1989.

But the hosts could pick up just two gold medals (though third highest medal tally of 17) to finish sixth in a Championship which lost much of the sheen with Asian leaders China sending a contingent without some of their top athletes.

Stars like 2012 London Olympics bronze-medallist high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and London silver medallist discus thrower Ehsan Hadadi of Iran also decided to skip the event.

Despite sending a depleted team, China ran away with top honours with 16 gold, six silver and five bronze, while Bahrain and Japan came second and third respectively.

Ace discus thrower Vikas Gowda and the women's 4x400m relay quartet of M R Poovamma, Tintu Luka, Anu Mariam Jose and Nirmala won gold to salvage some pride for India while the likes of Krishna Poonia (women's discus throw) and Sudha Singh (women's 10,000m race) flopped in the five-day event.

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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Manchester United's Paul Pogba on Monday paid tribute to George Floyd, stressing that violent acts of racism can no longer be tolerated and they have to stop.

Pogba took to Instagram to write: "During the past few days I have thought a lot about how to express my feelings about what happened in Minneapolis. I felt anger, pity, hatred, indignation, pain, sadness."

"Sadness for George and for all black people who suffer from racism Every day! Whether in football, at work, at school, Anywhere! This has to stop, once and for all! Not tomorrow or the next day, it has to end today! Violent acts of racism can no longer be tolerated," he added.

Protests erupted in Minneapolis and other US cities on Tuesday after Floyd, an African-American man, died following his arrest by the four officers.

A viral video showed a police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinning 46-year-old Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd died at a local hospital shortly thereafter.

The four police officers were fired. Chauvin was also charged with murder and manslaughter, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

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zaki ahmed
 - 
Wednesday, 3 Jun 2020

This photograph in the above mentioned article is of Floyd Mayweather Jr , the world welterweight & super heavy weight champion & wrongly menitoned as Pogba .

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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: No foreign player will be available for this year's IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday, casting fresh doubts on the fate of the event.

"The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government's directive, they can't come till April 15," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The government issued fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of novel coronavirus in the country.

India has reported 60 positive cases in the outbreak which has led to over 4,000 deaths globally.

The fate of the IPL itself will be decided on March 14 at the event's Governing Council meeting in Mumbai. "All decisions will be taken by the GC in Mumbai," the source said.

Having the IPL, starting March 29, played in empty stadiums is an option being explored.

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News Network
April 7,2020

Bengaluru, April 7: India batsman Robin Uthappa has said that he reckons he still has a World Cup left in him, despite being out of the team for than four years.

Uthappa had last played a match for the Men in Blue in 2015 on the tour of Zimbabwe.

"Right now I want to be competitive. I still have that fire burning in me, I really want to compete and do well. I honestly believe I have a World Cup left in me, so I'm pursuing that, especially the shortest format. 

The blessings of lady luck or god or whatever you call it, plays a massive factor," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Uthappa as saying.

"Especially in India, it becomes so much more evident. I don't think it is as evident when you're playing cricket outside of India. But in the subcontinent and India especially, with the amount of talent that we do have in our country, all of those aspects become evident," he added.

The 34-year-old Uthappa has played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India and he was also a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2007.

Uthappa has scored 934 runs in ODIs at an average of 25.94, while in T20Is his numbers are 249 runs at an average of 24.90.

"You can never write yourself off. You would be unfair to yourself if you write yourself off.

Especially if you believe you have the ability and you know that there is an outside chance. So I still believe in that outside chance," Uthappa said.

"I still believe that things can go my way and I probably can be a part of a World Cup-winning team and play an integral role in that as well.

Those dreams are still alive and I think I'll keep playing cricket till that is alive," he added.

Uthappa had enjoyed great success with IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. He went on to become their leading run-scorer in the 2014 edition.

However, he was released by the side after a below-par 2019 season, and last November he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for the 2020 edition.

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