Indian athlete suspended for possessing meldonium, the drug Sharapova used

Sabi Hussian 

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23

In a first in the history of dope testing in India, an international track and field athlete has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for possessing meldonium, a banned substance.

The athlete, who was part of the Indian squad at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Incheon Asian Games, was notified about his provisional suspension by NADA on Monday. NADA has told the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to ask the athlete to leave the national camp currently underway at NIS, Patiala, until he comes out clean.

The athlete, who has already been served a provisional suspension notice, has time until next Monday to explain in writing how he got hold of meldonium. If the athlete fails to reply satisfactorily, he will have to appear before NADA’s disciplinary panel to prove his innocence. A failure to defend himself before the panel would result in a four-year ban. 

Coach under scanner 

The athlete’s coach has also come under the scanner, and would be called to depose before the panel. The coach could also face sanctions if he’s found to be involved. The athlete getting provisionally suspended for merely possessing a banned substance is a significant development in the country’s fight against doping; normally NADA suspends the offenders only when their ‘A’ sample returns positive. 

Surprise check 

Last month, a NADA team had carried out a surprise check at the national campers’ hostel rooms in Patiala. The search was conducted after NADA got a tip-off that some of the campers had been using performance-enhancing drugs. NADA carried out the search when the athletes were away for their daily practice session. The NADA team discovered used syringes and unlabelled medicines and food supplements from the hostel rooms, which were later sent to the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) for further examination. During the testing, one of the syringes was found to have traces of meldonium. The athlete from whose belongings the suspicious syringe was found was subsequently put under provisional suspension by NADA. 

When The Tribune contacted NADA Director General Navin Agarwal for confirmation, he admitted that an international athlete has been found guilty of using meldonium. He, however, refused to reveal his name. “He has been given one week to prepare his defence, following which the disciplinary panel will start hearing his case. He has been told to leave the national camp,” said Agarwal.

“It’s a serious matter that meldonium has been found at NIS Patiala. It’s only available in international market, primarily in Central Asia. It’s manufactured in Latvia and is available in Russia and Baltic countries. It’s not available in India to the best of my knowledge. How this athlete got hold of it is a matter of investigation. He must have got it through some of his international contacts.”

Meldonium came into the spotlight when tennis superstar Maria Sharapova was banned for using it in 2016. Sharapova had failed a drug test at the Australian Open. WADA had approved the decision to add meldonium to the banned list in September 2015 and it came into effect on January 1, 2016.

Meldonium high: How does it work

Available as mildronate in international market, Meldonium enhances the physical capacity and mental function of a user. The drug was banned for sportspersons as it gave an unfair advantage to the athlete by aiding the oxygen uptake and thereby increasing the endurance levels. World Anti-Doping Agency announced in September 2015 that it would be declared as a banned substance from January 1, 2016.