Recover prize money from dope-tainted athletes: Malhotra

The president of All India Council of Sports, Vijay Kumar Malhotra has written to the Sports Ministry to ensure adequate measures to recover prize money from the dope-tainted athletes.

Expressing his anguish over the increasing incidents of dope, Malhotra has stressed on the need to introduce robust mechanism to counter the menace.

"The Sports Ministry should ensure adequate clauses for full recovery of prize money from the tainted sportspersons in proposed legislation to criminalise doping. The Employers of sportspersons should also be approached with proper guidelines to take punitive action against such tainted sportspersons," Malhotra said.

Malhotra said most of the dope cases occur in India as sportspersons consume general medicine and food/health supplements available across the counter, which contains prohibited substances.
 

"There are many Allopathic, Ayurvedic & Sidha medicines and health supplements available in the market but there is no standardisation of items or recognised standard stores available in India, where one can buy secure consumables which do not contain prohibited substances.

"There is also a need to educate sportspersons regularly and spread awareness about the medicines and food/health supplements which contains the prohibited substances, through advertisements in newspapers, TV channels, social media, etc."

Malhotra has also taken up the issue with the Human Resource Development Ministry and the NCERT to include one chapter in the text books at all levels.

"I have also taken up the matter with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to regulate the medicines & food supplements being sold in the market and frame standard for all allopathic, Ayurvedic, Sidha medicines & food/health supplements and issue certification to such items which do not contain prohibited substances," he said.

"NADA and FSSAI are in the process of finalising MoU under which both the agencies would develop mechanism under which food testing laboratories, services of Food Controller and Drug Controller would be available at primary level," Malhotra added.