Women’s relay team has won gold medal for achieving the victory in 4×400 relay races which gave them a path to participate in London Olympics. However, the team was imposed ban for one year by World Anti-Doping Agency due to positive results of steroids tested of four runners last year. Athletes were imposed ban of one year because of the presence of steroids in their urine samples. Later on the India’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel disclosed the athletes that they will be able to participate after the month of July for the qualifying events for the Olympics.
The four athletes were restricted not to participate in the London Olympics for some time due to in-take of ginseng tablets. They excused that they were unaware of such substance and the panel therefore allowed them to qualify for the upcoming event in Olympic.
It is the responsibility of India’s Sports Authority and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to give proper training and guide to athletes.
However, these pills were given by the coach of women athlete who was appointed by the Indian government. Athletes shared their point of view that they couldn’t find any difference in the pills taken in 2010 and that in 2011 as both were given by their coach.
The athletes belong to the farmer families. They are not educated and aren’t computer literate. They can’t speak in English and have no idea about the prohibit substances. They even can’t access their own coaches, nutritionists and doctors to guide them about the right supplement. Such athletes must go for training in national institutes so that they can achieve gold medals for their country in future as well.
Moreover, Indian athletes are in constant need of support and guide from sports system to give them proper nutrition and training which will lead them towards the success.
It is the duty of Indian Athletics Federation and the Sports Authority of India to well educate and give training to the national coaches about the contaminated supplements that must be checked before preferring these to the athletes. As the coach bought the ginseng tablet from China in 2010 during the Asian games and provide it to the athletes without checking its manufacturer reliability. This dramatic mistake was done due to lack of knowledge and training of not only athletes who in-take such unsafe substance but of the coach as well.
Somehow, Sports Authority of India and the Athletic Federation of India are also responsible for this error due to their lack of support to the team. The country’s National Anti-Doping Agency which was made about three years ago for testing purpose of athletes must also focus to educate the Indian athletes and coaches on necessary points to avoid such big mistakes in future.
