Was offered Rs 1 lakh to spike Rio-bound para-athlete’s drink: Juice vendor

Yash Goyal 

Jaipur, August 1

Even as the doping controversy continues to haunt Indian athletes ahead of the Rio Olympics, another alleged attempt to spike juice of a para-athlete has come to light.

As top-ranked javelin thrower Sunder Gurjar visited a juice vend outside Sawai Man Singh Stadium after his routine practice on Sunday evening, stall owner Sukhveer reportedly told him that an unknown person had offered him Rs 1 lakh for putting a tablet in the Rio-bound para-athlete’s juice.

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The vendor, who filed a complaint with the police on Monday, said he was threatened with dire consequences if he did not spike the athlete’s juice. Sunder consumes juice from the said outlet daily after the practice.

The juice vendor turned down the request of the alleged saboteur and says can recognise him he sees him again, SHO Raghuveer Singh Bhati said, quoting Sukhveer.

“We are ascertaining the facts and will view the CCTV footage from cameras installed near the stadium. Customers visiting the vendor are also on our radar. We are trying to reach to the para-athlete,” Bhati said.

Sunder, however, told a news channel, “The juice vendor was crying as he was narrating the incident to me. He fears for his life. Since it is my first Olympics, I am extra careful and am not even taking medicine for fever.”

The javelin thrower is all set to take part in Rio Para-Olympics to be held from August 20 to 25.

At the 16th Para-athletics National Championship in Panchkula, the 20-year-old athlete created a national record with a throw of 68.42 metre.