Two-time Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Sanjita Chanu has been handed a four-year ban for failing a dope test by the National Anti-Doping Agency's (NADA) Disciplinary Panel. Chanu has tested positive for an anabolic steroid- Drostanolone Metabolite which is in the prohibited list of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA).
Chanu's dope sample was taken in a competition during the National Games on 30th September 2022. "It is held that the Athlete has violated Article 2.1 & 2.2 of the NADA ADR, 2021, she is hereby sanctioned with an ineligibility of four (04) years as per Article 10.2.1 of the NADA ADR, 2021," the three-member NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel headed by Chaitanya Mahajan said in the order.
The athlete's ban will begin from 12th November 2022, which was the date of her provisional suspension. "The period of ineligibility shall commence from the date of provisional suspension i.e,12.11.2022. It shall be noted that the athlete has failed to satisfy the panel that the ADRV was non-intentional as per Article 10.2.1.1 of the NADA ADR, 2023," it added.
Notably, Chanu will lose her National Games Silver medal that she won recently. "As per Article 10.10 of the NADA ADR, 2021, the athlete is hereby disqualified of all of the individual results obtained in the said Event with all Consequences, including forfeiture of all medals, points and prizes since 30-09-2022," the order added.
During the hearing, Sanjita had denied intentionally taking any prohibited substance and submitted that she had taken all due care and caution while consuming food and supplements. The panel said that "the present case appears to be a case of systematic doping where the prohibited substance was used by the athlete".
"In the absence of any medical evidence that the athlete has consumed such prohibited substance through adulterated food, supplement or medicine, the only reasonable conclusion (is) that the athlete has intentionally consumed the said prohibited substance to enhance strength and power," the panel, which also has former India hockey forward Jagbir Singh and R K Arya as its members, ruled.
