New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) The growing list of dope offenders among Indian sportspersons ahead of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games is a ‘serious’ matter and a high-level probe should be initiated by the sports ministry, Indian Olympic Association vice-president V.K. Malhotra said here Tuesday.
Malhotra, also the president of the General Association of National Sports Federations (GANSF), said there should be zero tolerance for those who fail the dope test.
In a statement, Malhotra said it is a very serious matter that 12 sportspersons — six wrestlers, three swimmers, two athletes and one net-ball player — have tested positive a month before the Games.
‘Practically all coaching and training is done in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres. Apart from sportspersons, coaches, doctors and SAI officials should also be investigated,’ he said.
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the Indian Olympic Association should also issue a ‘clear and stern’ warning to the sportspersons for testing positive.
‘We are being watched by various international sports federations and any indiscretion on the part of Indian players or officials will only bring disrepute to the country,’ he warned.
Expressing surprise at reports that the ‘Vuvuzela’, the popular noisy trumpet at the World Cup football in South Africa, may be allowed to spectators during the Games, Malhotra said the European countries had banned it as its noise disturbed the players.
‘It (Vuvuzela) may be a part of South African culture, but it will not fit in here,’ he said.
‘We have our own way of drum beating and other forms of entertainment in the stadia. We don’t need any foreign device for our sporting festivals,’ Malhotra said.
