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No suspension of Sunita

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 20. Sunita Rani will not be provisionally suspended, at least for the time being, even as the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) goes through the motions of sticking to the procedures laid down by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The AAFI, which protested the results of the Seoul laboratory's tests on Sunita Rani's urine samples in the Busan Asian Games, at Monte Carlo, on the sidelines of the IAAF Council meeting recently, is hopeful that the IAAF Anti-Doping Commission would take up the matter at its next meeting.

No time-frame has been indicated for the commission to give its verdict, if at all, though the IAAF had informed the AAFI that it had sought for the official records of the tests from the Korean authorities.

Sunita, having tested positive for the banned steroid, nandrolone, has been stripped of her gold and bronze in the 1500m and 5000m events in the Asian Games. An enquiry commission set up by the AAFI had questioned the procedures in Busan and at the Seoul lab, apart from pointing out irregularities and discrepancies in the test reports.

Armed with its findings, the AAFI had represented Sunita's case before the IAAF Secretary-General, Istvan Gyulai, the Anti-Dope Commission Chairman, Prof. Arne Ljungqvist, and the commission member, Dr. Gabriel Dolle, at Monte Carlo the past week-end.

The AAFI President, Suresh Kalmadi, told a press conference on Wednesday that the Indian side had raised objections about variations in nandrolone concentration levels in Sunita's `A' and `B' samples (post-1500m), the wrong dates mentioned in the print-outs of lab reports and the testing done by the same set of analysts for both `A' and `B' samples.

The Indian officials, the AAFI Secretary, Lalit Bhanot, and the federation vice-president, A.K. Banerjee, also informed the IAAF that no written intimation was provided to Sunita about the testing of her `B' samples, as stipulated in the rules, and there was no representative of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Medical Commission when the `B' samples were tested, also as required under the OCA rules.

It was also pointed out to the IAAF that the dope control station had no restrictions as far as access to it was concerned and BAGOC had violated the rules in announcing the positive test on Sunita.

"We are hopeful of getting a positive result,'' said Mr. Kalmadi about the discussions the AAFI officials had at Monte Carlo with the IAAF officials.

As for the suspension of Sunita, as laid down under the IAAF procedures on all dope positives, before a hearing is held, Mr. Kalmadi would only say that there was no suspension. He, however, admitted that the rest of the procedures would be as per the IAAF rules. Asked whether Sunita could compete now, he said "if she wants to, she can.''

The IAAF stand has been that since it is the end of the competition season, there was no point in pressing for a provisional suspension as stated in Rule 59. But what stand the IAAF will take in case the athlete was to compete in the National Games in Hyderabad is to be seen.

The AAFI arguments have gained additional weightage in the light of a Saudi Arabian gold medallist at the Asian championships in Colombo, who turned in a positive test for nandrolone, being allowed to compete in the Busan Asian Games. His urine sample was reportedly tested at the Penang (Malaysia) lab.

Asked about the `B' sample of Sunita's September 30 test in the Delhi lab being sent abroad for further testing, as suggested by the Salwan Commission, Mr. Kalmadi said that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) was making arrangements for that.

Asked about the statement of Sunita Rani that she had paid $200 out of her pocket for the `B' sample test at Busan, Mr. Bhanot explained that the money was to have been paid by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), but eventually the Busan lab did not charge anything. The money would be returned to Sunita.

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