IOA for tough action against dope offenders: Malhotra

Indian Olympic Association, on Thursday, said no leniency would be shown to the 10 Kabbadi players and three athletes who flunked dope tests recently and asked the federations to crack the whip on guilty sportspersons.

"We should have a zero tolerance for those who test positive and there is no question of showing leniency to those sportspersons who bring shame to the country" IOA Acting President, Vijay Kumar Malhotra said.

"No more excuses from any quarter will be entertained because doping is just not acceptable," he added.

Half of the players during selection trials held early this month in Ludhiana for the second Kabaddi World Cup had tested positive for banned substances.

Malhotra said IOA will not spare any guilty persons after conducting a thorough inquiry.

"We want sports to be drug free, India is a party to the International Charter on this issue. This is not the first time that sports has been disgraced in India but what are the officials responsible for training and coaching of the sports persons were doing?" he asked.

Malhotra said he is shocked dope flunks have come out barely a couple of month after some top sportspersons were caught and punished.

"It seems these players had not learnt any lesson or were led to a garden path by some misguided officials," he said.

He reiterated his demand for a comprehensive inquiry to expose the nexus between the medicine suppliers, coaches, doctors, other officials along with involved sportspersons.

"We demand that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) come out with full facts on this sordid issue and what action it was proposing against its own officials who are responsible for running the camps," he said.

Malhotra also asked the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) to take action against the guilty quickly.

"There is no use of keeping the matters pending for months together which sends wrong signals to guilty sportspersons and officials," he said.