Commonwealth Games champion Sanjita Chanu banned for four years
Two-time Commonwealth Games champion Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been banned for four years by the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) disciplinary panel for failing a dope test last year. Sanjita had tested positive for a metabolite of anabolic steroid – Drostanolone, which is on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) during the National Games in Gujarat in September-October last year. His sample was taken for dope test on 30 September 2022 during the competition.
The NADA panel headed by Chaitanya Mahajan said in its report, “It is held that the player has violated Article 2.1 and 2.2 of NADA ADR, 2021, therefore he will be fined four years as per Article 10.2.1 of NADA ADR, 2021.” (04) years.” Sanjita’s ban will start from November 12, 2022 when she was provisionally suspended. According to the order, “The period of suspension will be considered to start from the date of temporary suspension on November 12, 2022.” This player failed to satisfy the Panel that the ADRV was unintentional as per Article 10.2.1.1 of the NADA ADR 2023.
This is a big blow for Sanjita. He had won a silver medal in the National Games which has been taken away. His reaction to this new development could not be obtained. Sanjita won the gold medal in the 48 kg weight category at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. In 2018, he won the gold medal in Gold Coast in the 53 kg category. The Manipur player still has the option of appealing against the decision but it is not certain whether she will do so.
She can appeal to the Appellate Panel of NADA within 21 days of receiving the decision. Sanjita herself presented her side during the hearing. He had deliberately denied taking the banned drug. He had said that he had taken utmost care in taking food and supplements. The panel said, “The present case appears to be a case of systematic doping where the athlete used a banned substance.” Such banned substance has been consumed through medicine.This leads to the conclusion that the sportsperson intentionally consumed the said banned substance to increase strength and power.”
Other members of the panel included former hockey players Jagbir Singh and RK Arya. This is not the first time that the 2011 Asian Championships bronze medalist is facing a doping controversy. Earlier in November 2017, he was banned by the International Weightlifting Federation in 2018 after testing positive for the anabolic steroid testosterone ahead of the World Championships in the US. The world body, however, cleared him of the charges in 2020. Sanjita had told PTI in January, “I have gone through this kind of situation before but I don’t understand how this happened.” Till this incident, I was very careful about my food and everything I did. I was also careful about my supplements and I asked if they were dope free.
