Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday unveiled National Anti-Doping Agency's first mobile app to provide information about prohibited substances and their inadvertent use, calling the initiative an important step towards dope-free sports.
The app aims to create a bridge between athletes and the NADA by providing easily accessible information on various aspects of sport, and most importantly about prohibited substances and their inadvertent use which may affect the career of athletes.
"It is a very important step for Indian sport because we are working towards clean sports and the first step in that direction is to create awareness and provide relevant, accessible information to athletes so that they know which medication or substances are not to be used by them," Rijiju said during an online launch of the app.
"With this app, athletes can check for themselves the list of prohibited substances and don't have to depend on anyone else for assistance," he added.
The app also has exhaustive information about whether a specific commonly-prescribed medicine contains any substance that is prohibited by NADA, therefore helping athletes and coaches to decide which medicines athletes can consume in case they are unwell.
To ensure a smoother, quicker process of dope test for athletes, the app allows doping control officer to record their availability to conduct a test through this app, a release said.
The NADA India App is available in Google store for all athletes and coaches to download.
The launch was also attended by Sports Secretary Ravi Mittal and Director General of NADA Navin Agarwal.
