Take samples of state winners, Boxing Sangh writes to NADA

The Haryana Boxing Sangh (HBS) has written to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to take samples of the winning players of the fifth Elite Men Haryana State Boxing Championship after suspected doping by some of the participants.

Sources said the Haryana Boxing Sangh had warned the boxers who were participating in the event held from December 16 to 18 at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) in Hisar.

They revealed that the Sangh, which is an affiliate of the Boxing Federation of India and the Haryana Olympic Association, took up the matter with NADA on the second day of the event (December 17) when an agency panellist and former Olympian Akhil Kumar visited the tournament during the semi-final matches.

The HBS immediately wrote to NADA to take samples of the participants. However, the sources said, it was too late as the NADA needed some time to complete required formalities and visit the site of the events. “It’s not possible for NADA to immediately take action and rush to the sporting events. It has to be informed and requested in advance,” said an official.

Meanwhile, HBS general secretary Ravinder Pannu informed The Tribune today that they had now requested NADA to take samples of the participants in the national Elite Men Boxing Championship, which will be held in Bareilly in UP, from January 6 to January 13. Ten players who won the state championship in different weight categories will participate in the national event to represent Haryana.

Pannu said they had urged the NADA to deploy the team for taking samples in all the state level events of boxing to be held in Haryana in future.

Meanwhile, Akhil Kumar, a NADA panellist, said the organisers of Elite Men Haryana State Boxing Championship informed him about the need to take samples of dope test of the participants when he visited the event on December 17. “I immediately forwarded the letter to the NADA headquarters and also made a call to the official concerned about the request from the organisers,” he said.

Notably, a haul of the used syringes and empty vials were found stuffed behind the flush tanks in the washroom at the site in the Giri Centre stadium in the HAU. Olympian Akhil Kumar and HBS general secretary Pannu expressed concern over the suspected use of the dope by sportspersons in various disciplines and stressed the need for awareness against the use of banned drugs and steriods, etc.