Representational photo.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) collected 148 samples - including 15 of blood - to detect the use of banned substance by athletes during national competitions held in February, says NADA's newsletter for the month of March.
The anti-doping watchdog in the country also collected out-of-competition samples in disciplines like boxing and wrestling across the country.
As many as 40 samples were collected in track and field, the most in a discipline. In February, the anti-doping agency had tested six athletes during the 36th National Junior Athletics Championship in Guwahati, Assam.
According to the NADA newsletter, six athletes were also subject to out-of-competition test during the Assam athletics meet.
The participants of first and second leg of the Indian Grand Prix meets held in Patiala were also subject to dope test. In the first leg of IGP, NADA had tested 10 athletes while the number was increased to 13 in the second leg.
NADA also took 10 samples of the athletes during the National Race Walking Championship held at Ranchi in Jharkhand. The Ranchi competition was an Olympic qualification event.
The national race walking event saw three athletes---Sandeep Singh (20km), Rahul Kumar (20km) and Priyanka Goswami (20km women) make cut for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Olympic probables attending coaching camps in Patiala and Bengaluru were also tested, added the newsletter.
