NEW DELHI: In a major policy decision, the government has made dope-tainted athletes and coaches eligible for the National Sports Awards, including the rechristened Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna award. Such athletes and coaches must have completed their ban period.
The move will benefit the likes of former and current athletes including Amit Panghal (boxing), Seema Antil (discus throw), Renjith Maheshwary (triple jump) and Bahadur Singh (shot put), among others. However, the likes of Panghal and Antil wouldn’t be considered for this year’s honours if their names haven’t been recommended by their respective federations and employers to the awards selection committee or the athletes haven’t self-nominated.
But the move does open the eligibility doors for athletes with the doping background to apply afresh from the next edition onwards.
With the sports ministry allowing for the self-application facility for athletes and coaches owing to the difficulties being faced by them in getting the recommendation of the prescribed authorities/persons on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, it would help such sportspersons to directly send in their nominations to the future committees without having to depend on federations to forward their names.
Till last year, the dope offenders were ineligible to apply for any national honours and the ministry’s June 2, 2020, circular had clearly mentioned this part.
“…(the athletes) shall be eligible to be considered for the award after the completion of their sentence/penalty/suspension/ban period. The achievement during the said suspension/punishment would not be considered. The sportsperson against whom enquiry is pending/ongoing will not be considered,” the ministry’s circular stated.
The ministry has also made the dope-tainted coaches eligible for the Dronacharya award.
“A coach found encouraging the use of drugs/substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) based on a sample collected by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)…shall be eligible for the Dronacharya award after the completion of their sentence,” the ministry said.
India’s first and only silver-medallist at the World Championships, flyweight boxer Panghal’s application for the Khel Ratna was last year rejected by the committee owing to his dope-tainted past. Panghal was nominated for Arjuna for the past three years but was not considered by different selection committees because of his 2012 ‘inadvertent’ doping offence.
Similarly, discus-thrower Antil, gold medallist at the World junior athletics championships in Santiago, had tested positive for a simulant in 2000 and was subsequently stripped of her medal. She was later let off with a ‘reprimand’ but the 2014 Incheon Asian Games gold medallist wasn’t considered for the sporting honours all these years owing to her failed dope test as a junior.
“It’s a great decision by the sports ministry. We had raised this issue in the past and I was planning to file a PIL after speaking to dope-tainted players. Due to this rule previously, even those who were caught in doping unintentionally, were also devoid of sports awards honours. I believe that this decision will motivate such athletes to give their best in order to get honour and recognition,” said leading sports lawyer Saurabh Mishra.
Jhajharia, Prasad in awards committee
Three-time Paralympic medallist, javelin-thrower Devendra Jhajharia, former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, ex-world champion boxer L Sarita Devi, former shooter Anjali Bhagwat and former women’s cricket team captain Anjum Chopra, among others, have been named in this year’s awards selection committee.
Retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Mukundakum Sharma, has been appointed as the chairperson of the committee.