SAI suspends coaches among others for supporting athletes in doping

New Delhi, July 7 (ANI): In the wake of eight athletes failing dope test, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has decided to take action against the tainted coaches and other support staff, whose roles have been under scanner.

Director General of Sports Authority of India (SAI), Desh Deepak Verma, on Thursday said R S Siddhu, who is the SAI athletic coach and N. Ramesh were given notice and hade been taken under suspension clause.

Talking to mediapersons, Verma said that SAI has deputed the enforcement directorate team to Patiala for further investigation

"The athletics foreign coach Mr. Yuri Ogorodonik, he has already been withdrawn with immediate effect and the detailed inquiry is going on. We had deputed our ED (Enforcement Directorate) teams to go to Patiala and enquire into full affairs, he has submitted his report," said Verma.

"Based on that report, we have also suspended and have taken action against some of the SAI (Sports Authority of India) officials as well, one of them Mr. R S Siddhu, who is the SAI athletic coach, who was the coach of 400 cross 400 metre relay team. He has been placed under suspension," he added.

The sports ministry ordered a probe after eight Indian athletes failed the 'out of competition' dope test held between June 11 and 14 at Bangalore.

After the termination of number of athletes in charge of doping Verma added that the motive is to end such illegal practices, which had brought shame and disrepute to the country.

"We have decided that whenever a doping incident or an incident of this type takes place, the action would be taken on the entire team who is associated with the team because this is a collective responsibility and we want stem this rot, we have to decide that whosoever is involved in this, the official of the SAI, we have already heard it from the minister, the actions which have been taken, so whosoever is involved, he be the, from SAI or be the from outside, the action would be taken," he said.

Verma also opined that Sunita Beri, a care taker and Kalpana Devnath, warden of the Silver Jubilee Girl's Hostel along with Naveen Kumar, Weightlifting coach and Praveen Kumar gymnastics coach have been suspended.

"So what we wish to convey is that whosoever is associated or involved for his action and also for inaction because we ant our officials to act proactively to ensure that such incidents of doping which bring disrepute and shame to the country do not take place and everybody who is associated with that, who is involved is supposed to a proactive role to ensure that such incidents does not take place and that is why these actions have been taken," said Verma.

The sports ministry was forced to act after eight athletes tested positive for taking banned anabolic steroids within the space of a week, three of them from India's 2010 Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medal-winning women's 4x400m relay team.

The first coach to lose his job was Ukrainian Yuri Ogorodonik, who trained the women's relay team.

Runners such as Tiana Mary Thomas, Sini Jose along with shot putter Sonia and long-jumper Hari Krishna tested positive for anabolic steroids, a banned substance as per World Anti-Doping Agency. (ANI)