Hockey stays one the cleanest sport on this planet with simply eight gamers being suspended for dope-related offences within the final 5 years, and the worldwide hockey federation (FIH) desires to maintain it that manner by remaining vigilant.
Since January 2017, solely 14 dope violations (adversarial analytical findings) have been reported, of which eight have been sanctioned. Almost all of the circumstances associated to leisure medication and never performance-enhancing substances.
According to FIH, there was only one “potential anti-doping rule violation (ADRV)“ in 2021 but no sanction was imposed.
“In line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) aims and ambitions, FIH takes its commitment to running a clean sport extremely seriously and works to ensure that it stays abreast of any developments in doping, testing and education around the subject,” FIH senior communications supervisor Nicolas Maingot informed PTI.
The variety of dope assessments carried out in a 12 months is, nevertheless, very low as in comparison with different sports activities like athletics, swimming, weightlifting, and even a workforce sport like soccer. Due to the low variety of constructive circumstances over time in hockey, there is probably not the necessity to take a look at a whole lot of samples.
Around 20 samples had been collected within the ongoing World Cup until the tip of crossover matches, which could be very low for a world showpiece. Twenty-eight matches out of a complete 44 had been performed until the crossovers stage.
Compared to this, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar noticed greater than 1,600 dope samples being collected.
The FIH, nevertheless, stated that “more samples may be collected” within the remaining matches (16 matches). It additionally stated that the collaborating gamers have already been examined earlier.
The samples had been collected by the officers of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
“All the teams were already tested. Players to be tested are drawn and this is conducted by NADO (National Anti-Doping Organisation),” Maingot stated.
“The process is managed by ITA (International Testing Agency) but the Indian NADO is the one responsible for the sample collection.” In 2021, 200 samples from 177 gamers had been collected, out of which 127 had been in-competition and 73 out-of-competition. Urine samples numbered 183, whereas 17 had been blood samples. Fifty-one per cent of the samples had been of male gamers.
The gamers from whom samples had been collected in 2021 belonged to 32 nations.
India was amongst 10 nations whose gamers had been examined probably the most in 2021.
In 2020, the FIH contractually delegated the administration and implementation of elements of its anti-doping programme to Switzerland-based ITA.
The FIH stated that since 2016, the variety of assessments per 12 months has been growing to be able to keep its standing as one of many cleanest sports activities on this planet. Every athlete who competes in an FIH occasion will need to have accomplished an Anti-Doping on-line instructional course inside the earlier two years and this was included in match laws.
“Since July 2015, the FIH has made it a requirement that all players must have completed an approved anti-doping education programme to be able to compete in FIH events. Any players who do not hold a valid Anti-Doping Certificate (valid for 2 years) will not be allowed to play in the competition until they have done so.” On-site anti-doping training cubicles had been to be arrange at occasions just like the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023, nevertheless it couldn’t be applied this time in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
“Not for this event due to the complexity of the travels and time limitations. However, all athletes had to pass through an anti-doping education course to participate in this event,” Maingot stated.
Despite the low variety of constructive and sanctioned circumstances, there was a well-known doping case in world hockey greater than a decade in the past and the Spanish ladies’s workforce was on the verge of lacking the 2008 Olympic Games after successful the qualifying occasion in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Two of their gamers had examined constructive for social gathering drug MDMA (methylenedioxy methamphetamine) also referred to as ‘Ecstasy’ or ‘Molly’. Spain alleged sabotage in Baku. According to FIH guidelines on the time, if a couple of member examined constructive, the entire workforce could possibly be disqualified.
However, the FIH disciplinary fee discovered that just one participant was responsible of doping violation. Azerbaijan appealed towards the choice to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), however Spain received the case.
In India, Jarmanpreet Singh, who’s within the India workforce for the continued World Cup, was handed a two-year suspension after failing a random dope take a look at in 2015 when he was taking part in within the Hockey India League.
Former India goalkeeper Akash Chikte was suspended for 2 years in 2018 however the ban interval was decreased to 13 months later after the attraction panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency concluded that he didn’t take the prohibited substance deliberately.
Source: www.thehindu.com