The Hindu : Sport : Neelam Singh's counsel points out discrepancies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 09, 2005

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Sport - Sports : General

Neelam Singh's counsel points out discrepancies

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Neelam J. Singh's counsel, Sushil Salwan pointed out "several discrepancies" in procedures and documentation with regard to her doping case as the hearing before the Dawaram panel wound up a three-hour session on Tuesday.

Mr. Salwan has been asked to provide his written submissions that would be gone through by the panel in its next meeting before the latter gives its verdict. The hearing will not continue for a third day on Wednesday as planned earlier. It is unlikely that Salwan would be called again to provide oral submissions.

Neelam has been charged with a dope positive for the stimulant pemoline at the World championships in Helsinki last August. She is under provisional suspension by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Mr. Salwan has raised questions about "procedural, medical and technical" discrepancies while arguing Neelam's case before the four-member hearing panel appointed by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Once the AFI panel gives its verdict and that is communicated to the IAAF the latter (or the World Anti Doping Agency) will have the right to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Lausanne, if it is not in agreement with the decision.

It may be recalled that as the one-man enquiry commission that went into the Sunita Rani doping case at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Mr. Salwan had dug out several discrepancies in the documentation of the Seoul laboratory that eventually resulted in the disqualification of the athlete being annulled by the IAAF. The Seoul lab was subsequently downgraded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but has since been restored its full accreditation.

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