IOA forms committee on lifters' dope flunk

Alarmed that the recent dope flunk by three weightlifters could send out a negative image of the country ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday formed a four-member committee to look into the matter and submit a report within a week.

The committee will be chaired by IOA senior official KP Singh Deo and will also include the association's Medical Commission chairman Dr Manmohan Singh.

The other members of the committee, formed by the Executive Committee of the IOA in its meeting on Thursday, are Dr Munish and legal adviser Sushil Salwan.

"IOA was alarmed by a number of weightlifters testing positive for banned substances during a training camp in Pune.

As host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year, IOA stresses that it is important for Indian sport to be dope free and exhorted the sporting fraternity to do nothing that would damage the pride of the country," IOA said in a statement.

"The IOA has time again reiterated that Indian sport must be dope free and that the offenders dealt with in keeping with rules of sport," it added.

Commonwealth Games medal prospects Shailaja Pujari and Vicky Batta and junior lifter Priyadarshini tested positive for banned substances in the out of competition tests conducted in Pune.

Pujari and Priyadarshini were caught in the tests conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency while Batta flunked a test conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency.