NADA conducts raid at SAI's Bangalore centre

Bangalore: In another crackdown in the backdrop of the athletics doping scandal, a team of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) today conducted raids at the Sports Authority of India’s centre at Bangalore and took samples from the campers there for testing. The team, headed by Dr V Jayaraman, searched the rooms of the campers, took urine samples and checked the medical supplies at the centre, SAI sources said. [caption id=“attachment_39494” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Eight track and field athletes tested positive for anbolic steroids in one of the worst doping scandals in the country. Reuters”]  [/caption] The raid was part of the countrywide crackdown on doping in sports following the recent doping scandal involving eight Indian track and field athletes. NADA had last week conducted a surprise raid at the rooms of campers and coaches at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and took urine samples from the sportspersons training there for testing. NADA sources said such raids are likely to be conducted in other SAI Centres also. The Bangalore SAI Centre has trainees from various disciplines, including track and field athletes, women weightlifters and hockey players. Eight track and field athletes tested positive for anbolic steroids in one of the worst doping scandals in the country. Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose and Ashwini Akkunji, who were part of the 4x400m relay quartet that won gold in the Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, and three other quartermilers Jauna Murmu, Tiana Mary Thomas and Priyanka Panwar trained at NIS Patiala. Of the other two dope-tainted athletes, long jumper Hari Krishnan Muralidharan trained at Pune while Sonia was not in any national camp. PTI