HOA organises seminar on prevention of drug abuse and doping

Kaithal, Mar 24 (UNI) Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of doping among sportspersons, Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice TPS Mann said "due to socio-economic reason a sportsman is tempted to resort to banned performance-enhancing drugs to win medal and honour which can help him to live a comfortable life." Justice Mann was speaking in a seminar on prevention of drug abuse and doping jointly hosted by the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) and United Federation of Indian Journalists (UFIJ) at the RKSD College here yesterday.

Without naming the sportsperson, Justice Mann said a weightlifter was tested positive and banned. "It was a just tip of an iceberg. Fearing they might be caught, all Indian weightlifting probables attending the National Camp at NIS Patiala disappeared on hearing that a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) team is visiting Patiala. This is a serious challenge our society is facing," he added.

Various sports medicine experts and doctors, including Dr Alka Beotra from Sports Authority of India, New Delhi, Dr PP Dass of PGI Chandigarh, presented their papers in the seminar explaining in details the ill-effects of the drug abuse and doping.

They said that India will have an accredited World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lab before the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regularly make public the list of banned performance-enhancing drugs and the action taken against the offenders, including life ban and stripping of medals.

Delhi High Court Justice JM Malik, Kaithal District Session Judge HS Bhangoo, HOA president Khel Rattan Abhey Singh Chautala, HOA secretary general Dr Mohinder Singh Malik, All India Bar Association chairman Adish C Aggarwal were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Asking to keep politics out of sports, Mr Justice JM Malik, suggested that each state must have a forensic laboratory. "It has been noticed that the police present the challans but the report from the forensic laboratory is received very late." HOA President Chautala said "The organisation of such seminars is a sincere effort on the part of the HOA to educate the public and the sportspersons to refrain themselves from taking drugs." UNI XC PS BK1821