NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in an official communication, has intimated to the government that the Indian cricket board does not come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
In a letter to the Sports Secretary this week, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri said, “BCCI would like to assure you that it has a zero tolerance approach to doping in the sport of cricket and is committed to encourage fair play in sports. BCCI follows the highest professional and ethical standards laid down by WADA to ensure that the cricketers compete in a doping-free environment in India.”
“BCCI is an autonomous sports organisation affiliated with the International Cricket Council (ICC), which governs the game globally and is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code since 2006. Whilst the BCCI acknowledges that NADA is the nodal agency responsible for implementation of anti-doping measures for all National Sports Federations in India, the BCCI is not subject to the jurisdiction of NADA and is required to operate within the rules and regulation set by the ICC,” it added.
The ministry had stepped up pressure on the BCCI earlier this month, saying the NADA could earn the wrath of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) for non compliance. The BCCI however has maintained that it need not be governed by NADA since it is not a national sports federation.
Johri’s letter however maintains, “The BCCI already has a robust dope testing mechanism which is employed for both during competitions and out-of-competitions and the testing of samples by IDTM is already being done at WADA accredited laboratory (NDTL) under aegis of the Sports Ministry. You will appreciate that for analysis and testing of samples, BCCI adheres to the WADA International Standard of Laboratories and the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations.”
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) too had ruled in a meeting last week that they are satisfied with the current anti-doping system in place and it feels there is no need for the top Indian cricket players to sign the ‘whereabouts clause’.
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BCCI’s response to NADA
