I did not play any role in the doping scandal : Ogorodnik

Patiala, Jul 8: I did not play any role in the doping scandal, said Yuri Ogorodnik, the sacked Ukrainian athletics coach after the Indian doping scandal came into light.

"I did not play any role in the doping scandal. I have been set-up and this is an attempt to tarnish my reputation," said Ogorodnik.

"I cannot believe the girls tested positive for the same anabolic steroid. I have never given any anabolic steroid to any athlete. I am not to blame for it. The athletes have taken only food supplements and those could be contaminated," he said.

"I did not play any role in the doping scandal. I have been set-up and this is an attempt to tarnish my reputation," he said.

Sini Jose, Mandeep Kaur, Tiana Mary Thomas, Ashwini Akkunji, Priyanka Pawar were the athletes who were undergoing training under Ogorodnik and were tested positive for methandienone.

The athletes blamed the sacked coach for recommending food supplements and failing their dope test.

Ogorodnik also said that athletes were forced to buy food supplements from outside as the food provided by Sports Authority of India (SAI) was not up to the expectations.

"SAI protein and vitamin supplements are insufficient. So we bought those from a chemist in Patiala which might be contaminated," said the Ukrainian coach.

"You didn't have modern food supplements, we didn't even have doctors in the academy," he said.

The coach also claimed that his life was under threat and he wanted to leave the country.

OneIndia News