Date:20/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/20/stories/2008052053151800.htm

Sport - Sports : General

Minister warns weightlifting federation

NEW DELHI: The Union Sports Minister, M.S. Gill, on Monday warned the Indian Weightlifting federation (IWF) that the ministry would come down hard on drug abuse in weightlifting as well as other sports.

After a detailed discussion with the IWF President, Harbhajan Singh, about the doping incident involving woman lifter Kavita Devi prior to the recent Asian championships in Japan, the minister said that he would have a review meeting on doping with all the office-bearers of the IWF in two months.

The minister said that Indian sports needed young, talented sportspersons with clean records in the matter of doping.

“Indian sports must have a clean and high reputation in the matter of drug misuse,” the minister said.

Mr. Gill also stated that he would be looking in great detail towards the setting up of a National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) to ensure that the NADA is an “independent, focussed, efficient organisation for testing sports people and carries a high reputation internationally.” — Special Correspondent