India’s fastest female sprinter Dutee Chand has tested positive for a prohibitive substance. Consequently, the celebrated athelte has been handed a provisional suspension.
As per reports, the prohibitive substanaces that have been found in Dutee’s samples are SARS S4 Andarine, O Dephenylandarine, SARMS (ENBOSARM) (OSTARINE) and LIGANDROL Metabolite. The substances that she has returned a positive result for are said to be Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), which have similar anabolic properties to anabolic steroids but with reduced androgenic (producing male characteristics) properties.
Dutee’s sample was collected out-of-competition on December 5, 2022, in Bhubaneswar.
Dutee denied that she had received this notification by the world body and said that she had been competing for a long time at the highest level and that she had never used a banned substance.
“I have been competing at the highest level for almost a decade and I have never touched or used any kind of performance enhancing drugs. I have given my samples whenever asked. In 2014 I had to fight for my right to run due the hyperandrogenism case and now this has come up. I’ll have to see the letter first to tell you what my next step will be,” said Dutee to the Indian Express.
She then added, “I haven’t received any letter from doping agencies or federation yet. I only got to know through media people that a letter is being circulated on social media.”
While Dutee is the reigning 100m national champion, she also came second in both the 100m and 200m events at the 2018 Asian Games.
“I do hereby inform you that your sample A was tested at the NDTL (National Dope Testing Laboratory) in accordance with the procedure set out in WADA’s (World Anti-Doping Agency) International Standard of Laboratories and was returned adverse analytical findings as details given below,” the National Anti Doping Agency wrote in a letter addressed to Dutee notifying her about the adverse analytical findings for ‘andarine’, ‘ostarine’ and ‘ligandrol, which was made available to PTI.
The letter also warned Dutee about the potential consequences. “I do hereby invite you to carefully read the contents of this letter which provides important information as to the potential consequences of the AAF and resulting disciplinary process,” the letter added.
As per the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) official website these prohibited subtances can potentially be used for performance enhancement owing to their charactertistic of being anabolic in nature. Moreover, they also have the ability to stimulate androgen receptors leading to muscle and bone growth and thus an unfair advantage obtained thorugh the use of a drug.
It is pertinent to note that while her ‘A’ sample has tested positive, it is likely that the 26-year-old will appeal for a test of her ‘B’ sample.
