Commonwealth Games 2018: Decoding CGF's No Needle Policy, which could see India sanctioned at Gold Coast

India may have been cleared of the doping charge which hung over some members of the boxing contingent after syringes were discovered at the Games Village on Saturday, but the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) court could still slap sanctions on the Indian contingent over a violation of the CGF’s No Needle Policy. [caption id=“attachment_4237919” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “The CGF Medical Commission has concluded its investigation into the alleged violation. They have escalated the matter to the CGF court. Following the hearing, a decision will be made. Please wait till the final hearing. We will provide full overview of what happens. For clarification, this matter is not defined as an anti-doping rule violation, but rather as an infringement of the CGF’s No Needle Policy, which has been introduced by major events organisers to ensure best medical practices,” CGF CEO David Grevemberg said in his daily media briefing on Tuesday morning. The No Needle Policy states that the Commonwealth Games are “needle-free” for all participating athletes. As per the policy, needles cannot be used in the Games Village except in cases where the athlete requires “auto-injection therapy for an established medical condition with a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)” (for athletes who may be diabetic and need insulin). Needles may also be allowed to treat injury, illness or other medical conditions, but only if used by a medically qualified practitioner, that too after obtaining a valid TUE. The policy further stated that each country’s Commonwealth Games Association needs to ensure that “any needles, and associated clinical materials, intended for use by members of its delegation are stored in a central secured location, access to which is restricted to authorised medical personnel of the CGA delegation.” Athletes and non-athletes, who have a valid TUE for the use of insulin or require other forms of auto-injection, may keep appropriate materials with them if safely stored and disposed of in an appropriate bio-hazard container. Athletes or their entourage have also been instructed to fill an “Injection Declaration Form” in case they need needles during their stay at the Games Village.