Rohit gets reprieve as NADA misses deadline

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 21

In an embarrassment to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), its anti-doping appeal panel (ADDP) dismissed the appeal filed by the body, which sought enhanced sanction on javelin thrower Rohit Yadav.

Yadav, a silver medallist at last year’s Youth Asian Championship, tested positive for banned anabolic steroid Stanozolol on the sidelines of the 14th National Youth Athletics Championships in April last year.

Yadav, after he was notified about the doping violation, had pleaded leniency as he was a minor and further claimed that he had no knowledge as to how the banned substance was detected in his body.

The disciplinary panel comprising chairman Rajeev Kapoor, Poonam Chopra and Dr LK Gupta used its “judicial discretion” and gave him a reduced period of ineligibility of one year as he was a minor. However, NADA appealed against this decision as it felt that the athlete failed to establish any grounds for elimination or reduction of the ineligibility period. It said that “the plea taken by the athlete is liable to be rejected out-rightly and the maximum sanction of four years may be imposed”. 

While the stipulated time limit to file an appeal was 21 days, NADA took over six months. The suspension order was given on August 28, 2017, whereas NADA filed the appeal in April this year. 

ADDP, chaired by JRV Easwar, on Monday dismissed NADA’s appeal on grounds of limitation as well on merits. Yadav’s counsel Parth Goswami successfully argued that the appeal process was time-barred as per NADA’s anti-doping rules 2015. Goswami further argued that the appeal deserved to be dismissed since the athlete was rightly given the benefit of ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’ as a minor under the rules is not required to show how the prohibitive substance entered his system.

Yadav, whose one-year suspension will end on May 22 (Tuesday), said he was looking forward to competing again. “I am happy that the panel ruled in my favour. My aim is to do well in competitions from now on and hopefully the taint (dope violation) will not be attached to my name,” he said.