Five men’s freestyle wrestlers representing India at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan were asked to provide documents for the needles they were carrying while departing from Astana. However, since the needles were not related to any banned substances, the wrestlers were cleared to board the flight after showing invoices.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the Sports Authority of India have been advocating for a no needle policy at national camps to prevent doping. The Athletics Federation of India already has such a policy and has expelled athletes with syringes and needles in their possession. Other federations, including wrestling, also have similar policies.
According to sources, the wrestlers were called out at the airport as their luggage bags contained syringes. However, they were allowed to join the team later after producing the bills for the syringes. The team was made up of men’s Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers and women grapplers selected and cleared by the Oversight Committee of the sports ministry for the championships.
No violation of no needle policy
A source from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) confirmed the development but stated that the wrestlers did not violate the “no needle policy” since the injections they were carrying along with their food supplements were not banned by NADA. None of the things they were carrying were banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The source added that the wrestlers had forgotten the bills for the needles, which caused their names to be called out at the airport. However, the wrestlers were able to show pictures of the bills on their phones after receiving them from the hotel they stayed in. The wrestlers were then allowed to leave, and no action was taken against anyone.
Importance of clean sports
The no needle policy aims to prevent the use of banned substances to promote clean sports. Interestingly, some athletes have been removed from national camps for possession of needles even without banned substances.
The Indian wrestlers were allowed to leave Astana airport after showing invoices for the needles they were carrying. The no needle policy, advocated by the National Anti-Doping Agency and the Sports Authority of India, aims to promote clean sports and prevent the use of banned substances. While the wrestlers did not violate the policy, it is crucial to remember the importance of following such measures to maintain the integrity of sports.
