Sports Minister, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, urged the Indian cricket board to shed its resistance and adhere to the testing regime of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) like all other federations.
“For me, the athlete, coach and the fans are the most important. When there is doping, fans are cheated,” Rathore told reporters on Sunday after flagging off the Delhi Half Marathon at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The minister didn’t see any justification in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refusing to let its players get tested by NADA.
The BCCI argues that it adheres to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stipulations as its parent body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is a signatory to its code and that it gets its players tested by an accredited Europe-based agency.
The board is unhappy with the whereabouts clause in WADA stipulations that entails national stars to disclose their whereabouts. The BCCI terms it a security risk.
Rathore said: “It is incumbent upon the BCCI to ensure that there is no cheating. I am glad cricket gets dope control done through an outside agency. But when all other federations in the country, and even bodies from outside the country, are trusting NADA, cricketers should also be able to do that.”
{{/usCountry}}Rathore said: “It is incumbent upon the BCCI to ensure that there is no cheating. I am glad cricket gets dope control done through an outside agency. But when all other federations in the country, and even bodies from outside the country, are trusting NADA, cricketers should also be able to do that.”
{{/usCountry}}The Athens Olympics shooting silver medallist said the global doping agency needs to ensure the Indian cricketers are also tested as the ICC is a signatory to WADA.
Rathore welcomed Sushil Kumar’s return to action, after the double-Olympic medallist won the 74kg freestyle title at the national wrestling championships in Indore during the week. “Every athlete has the right to make a comeback,” he said, while hailing Sushil’s achievements.
The sports minister said India was no longer just about sports spectators, but was turning into a nation of sports participants. The government was taking steps to provide the facilities vital to carry out this transition, he added.