In a bid to make sure that athletes keep away from contaminated dietary supplements, that are additionally typically cited as cause for failed dope assessments by offenders caught within the anti-doping internet, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday inaugurated a Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar that might consider such add-ons. The minister just about inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Nutritional Supplements Testing for Sportspersons (CoE-NSTS) on the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

CoE-NSTS will take a look at dietary supplements for sportspersons to make sure solely the very best merchandise can be found to athletes getting ready for mega-events.

“When we talk about the Road to Paris, all we have to say is play safe, play clean and play fair. For that, awareness is very important. Apart from awareness, you need to have the right facilities for the athletes,” stated Thakur on the sidelines of the ‘Road to Paris 2024: Championing Clean Sports and Uniting for Anti-Doping’ convention.

“Till now, there was no facility for testing nutritional supplements. Now we have it in place. So, if there are contaminated supplements in gyms, power enhancers, they too can be checked through this now. Athletes can also get good quality supplements to improve their performance,” he added.

Doping has been the bane of Indian sports activities and a whole lot of occasions, athletes caught throughout testing plead innocence claiming unintended ingestion of banned substances as a result of spurious dietary supplements and medicines.

Stressing upon the ideas of truthful play, Thakur stated integrity is important and the nation wish to put its finest foot ahead on the Paris Olympic Games in July-August this 12 months.

CoE-NSTS, he stated, was a step in creating the services that might guarantee better transparency.

“CoE-NSTS will do research on nutritional supplements and sportspersons can get more information on the nutrients. It is very important for Road to Paris 2024 that we create awareness among athletes with regard to anti-doping activities and keep them away from doping,” he stated.

The minister stated the institution of CoE-NSTS “aligns with the ministry’s goal to develop nutritional supplement testing facilities in India” Praising the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), Thakur stated, “NADA’s efforts in promoting clean sport and anti-doping measures have played a crucial role in educating athletes, conducting tests, and enforcing anti-doping rules and policies.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)