Satish Rai, one of the most experienced weightlifters in the country, could face a life ban if his `B' sample test comes up `positive' and the hearing panel concludes that he has indeed committed an anti-doping rule violation during the last National Games in Guwahati.

Rai was one among the nine sportspersons who tested positive at the National Games last February and he was one of the four who opted for `B' sample analysis.

Exercising his right

In his case, the Karnataka lifter who represented Andhra Pradesh in Guwahati, has chosen to exercise his right to be present at the time of the `B' sample test in Bangkok. The test report is yet to reach the IOA.

The `positive' report if confirmed after `B' sample analysis, will be Rai's second offence.

He was disqualified and stripped of his two gold medals and a bronze at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 following a positive test. He had then tested positive for the stimulant strychnine. The substance this time was not a stimulant, according to sources.

The IOA hearing panel headed by its Medical Commission Chairman, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in a decision announced on Friday, ruled that eight of the nine sportspersons whose positive doping cases were taken up by the panel, had committed anti-doping rule violations in the games and stood disqualified.

Not naming Rai

The IOA panel did not name Rai but stated in a press release: "The identity of the sportsperson and further action is withheld till the declaration of the `B' sample result by the Bangkok laboratory."

The IOA also did not specify how many athletes had returned positive tests from among the samples tested at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Bangkok.

"Out of the 257 samples, the lab authorities reported that certain sportspersons were tested positive for adverse analytical findings (sic) during the 33rd National Games," said the IOA release.

Those who were ruled to have committed an anti-doping violation and accordingly disqualified were: Jasmine Joseph (athletics, women's 400m, nandrolone); Gajendra Kumar (athletics, javelin, mephentermine); Taranjit Singh (boxing, over 91kg, nandrolone and furosemide); Jenny Lalremliani (women's boxing, 63kg, furosemide); Amol Buchade (wrestling, Greco-Roman, 96kg, nandrolone); Jasvir Singh (kabaddi, nandrolone); Vicky Batta (weightlifting, 56kg, furosemide) and Monika Narwal (women's wrestling, 56kg, furosemide).

The `positive' cases are being reported to the concerned national federations for further sanctions.

The IOA stated that the sportspersons would lose their medals, points and prizes in the games, as per rules.

Facing suspensions

All of them face two-year suspensions since steroids, stimulants (except certain drugs that fall under `specified substances') and diuretic furosemide all carry the same sanction for a first-time offence under the WADA Code nowadays.

The IOA panel included K.P. Singh Deo and R.K. Anand, apart from Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Twenty-one of the 22 positive cases reported from the Hyderabad National Games were disqualified by the IOA. The tests were done at the Dope Control Centre (DCC) here at that time.

This was the first time that the IOA had sent urine samples abroad for testing in an accredited laboratory.

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