NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has expressed concern over the National Anti-Doping Bill 2018 which was recently proposed by the retired Justice Mukul Mudgal of the Supreme Court, Indian Express reports.
Mudgal had added the clause of supplying banned drugs to athletes as a criminal offence on the recommendation of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The draft bill will take into account any person trafficking drugs, whether an athlete, pharmacist or even coach, to be sentenced to four years of prison or pay up a maximum of Rs 1 million as punishment.
However, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta has reportedly sent his feedback of the draft bill to NADA director general Naveen Agarwal, which stated: “Article 13(2) and (3) on criminalising supply of prohibited substances should be reconsidered. Few of the prohibited substances are legal under law to purchase and consume, the effect of which on performance enhancing is only illegal in sports but would not stand the general implications of a criminal act.”
The IOA and NADA’s differences don’t just end here. The former has accused the latter of not following World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, which prohibit government interference in the operations of the country’s anti-doping governing body with the only exception being in forming its legislation and policies for its functioning.
However, in India, the NADA is funded by the government. In the same letter to Agarwal, Mehta raised the point by mentioning Article 22.6 of the WADA code that rules: “Each government will respect the autonomy of a National Anti-Doping Organisation in its country and not interfere in its operational decisions and activities.”
NADA had stepped up its activities in the recent Khelo India Youth Games 2019 by randomly testing 6000 athletes for doping in the Pune-hosted tournament on the instructions of Sports India (formerly SAI).
