Combating Doping: Why Education is India's First Line of Defence

NADA emphasises the critical role of education and enhanced intelligence gathering in combating the evolving challenges of doping in sports, including the involvement of organised crime.

Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Key Points

Education is the primary defence against doping, requiring continuous upgrades to monitoring systems.
NADA is increasing athlete testing, conducting approximately 8,000 tests annually, up from 4,000 in 2019.
NADA is collaborating with WADA and INTERPOL to combat organised crime involvement in supplying banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).
The 'Know Your Medicine' app has seen half a million searches, indicating increased athlete awareness of medication.
NADA is working with the CBI and using the 'Speak Up' initiative to improve intelligence gathering and resolve doping cases.

Education remains the first line of defence against doping, National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) Chairman Anant Kumar said on Thursday, recognising the "evolving" nature of the menace which requires constant upgrade in monitoring mechanism.

At the World Anti-Doping Agency's Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) Final Conference here, Kumar sat with WADA officials as they highlighted India's consistently poor doping record while expressing hope for a better future.

Kumar said NADA is trying to keep pace with the changing dynamics of doping, the latest challenge being the involvement of organised crime syndicates in the supply of banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).

WADA has been coordinating with the INTERPOL to gather intelligence and disrupt the supply chains created by such criminals.

NADA's Enhanced Testing and Monitoring

"NADA is committed to testing and also intelligence gathering. We are now testing close to 8,000 athletes annually, which was about 4,000 till 2019. We have expanded our Registered Testing Pool (RTP) and also created a secondary RTP to widen the net," Kumar said.

"I believe education is our first line of defence and that's why it is heartening that there have been half a million searches on the 'Know Your Medicine' app by athletes who are increasingly conscious of what they are taking.

"We are mindful of the evolving challenges but we are addressing them too," he added.

Collaboration and Intelligence Gathering

To address the criminal aspect of doping, NADA has been coordinating closely with WADA's Intelligence and Investigation wing. The country hosted two workshops last year in which Dope Control Officers were trained about interrogation techniques while dealing with suspected suppliers and athletes.

"The coordination has got us tremendous benefits. We have upscaled our intelligence gathering thanks to CBI's involvement and also got improved training in interrogation techniques. We have also resolved about 80 cases after being tipped off through the 'Speak Up' initiative," he said.

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