The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Delay in Neelam case: IAAF displeased

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Thursday, Mar 09, 2006

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Sport - Athletics

Delay in Neelam case: IAAF displeased

NEW DELHI: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has decided to report the matter of delay in resolving the Neelam J. Singh doping case to its Council at its next meeting in Osaka at the end of this month.

Displeased with the way the hearing process in the Neelam case has progressed, the IAAF has written to the AFI that the delay was unacceptable and the matter would be taken up by the Council.

While pointing out that sanctions against a member country for not adhering to the anti-doping rules were possible, an IAAF spokesman informed through e-mail on Wednesday that in the AFI case the matter was only being reported to the Council.

The AFI would be on firm ground in respect of the regulations under Rule 42 since it is obliged to hold a hearing within two months of being requested to do so. The Indian federation had met this statutory obligation in the Neelam case, though even after six months, the matter, being heard by the Davaram committee, has remained unresolved.

Another possible delay

The Neelam case has dragged on mainly because of the time sought by the defence counsel on two occasions and now, when everything seemed to have neared a conclusion, there has arisen the possibility of some points raised by the defence counsel being referred back to the Helsinki laboratory through the IAAF for clarification.

"A decision could be expected within a short time," said an AFI spokesman on Wednesday.

Discus thrower Neelam J. Singh has been under provisional suspension since August last for testing positive for stimulant pemoline at the World championships in Helsinki. If found guilty, she faces a two-year suspension.

`Evidence being gathered'

The IAAF spokesman also informed that evidence regarding the "missing athletes" was being gathered. "The whereabouts and actions of all the athletes and staff members involved in the training camps are certainly still under investigation. The IAAF is taking this matter extremely seriously."

The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) had conducted a "test mission" on the Indian athletes training at Potchefstroom, South Africa, leading to the Indian team including around 40 athletes abruptly leaving that country.

When a WADA team visited the NIS, Patiala, apparently on the trail of the athletes, again it could not succeed in collecting urine samples of any of the athletes.

Reprieved for 14

The AFI, in an effort to smother the mounting criticism, conducted a disciplinary hearing against 17 athletes and reprieved 14 of them enabling their participation in the Federation Cup held recently.

Barring shot putter Navpreet Singh, who could have been in contention for a place in the team for the Commonwealth Games, the other two athletes still under suspension are "minor characters" in this "missing athletes" episode.

Interestingly, the man who headed the disciplinary panel, Sushil Salwan, has said that he had asked almost all the athletes, who were under suspension, to submit medical records to substantiate illness of family members as reported by them or for their own illness or injuries as claimed.

They were given 10 days to submit relevant documents. By the time the 10-day deadline expires on March 11, the majority of the athletes would be on their way to Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the AFI has shifted the additional trials for the men's 4x400m relay team and woman discus thrower Harwant Kaur from Patiala to Delhi. The trials would be held in New Delhi on March 12.

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