Press Release

"National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) India organized the ‘Regional Anti-Doping Symposium in Asia’, the topic of deliberations being ‘Implementation of Effective Testing and Anti-Doping Education Program to Achieve the Goal of Clean Sport’. The two day symposium, held on 22-23 October 2019 at New Delhi had delegates from across the Asia Pacific region and experts on various aspects of sports and sports medicine attending it.

Post the welcome address by Sh. Navin Agarwal, DG &CEO NADA the ball was set rolling by the Hon’ble Minister of Youth affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju who delivered the key note address and Secretary Sports Sh. Radhey Shyam Julaniya who delivered the opening address.

The Hon’ble Minister spoke about the rising competition in sports and also the tendency of a small minority of sports people indulging in wrong practices to enhance performance, bringing a bad name to their sport and country. He emphasized the need for NADA and other sports federations to work together to spread awareness about the harmful effects of doping, and the zero-tolerance policy.  He further spoke about the need for collaboration amongst different countries and agencies to strengthen WADA as it is a coming together of all countries and so its success is a shared goal. Congratulating NADA India for getting Cricket, the most popular sport in India, under its ambit he also cautioned that it is a big responsibility and challenge. He concluded his address by saying that success should only be for the deserving.

Secretary Sports, Sh. Julaniya spoke about the roles that various agencies play in building the careers of sportspeople and the need for continuous awareness building of the pitfalls of doping for short term success. He congratulated NADA on increasing the number of dope tests and a host of innovative measures like ABP program, Independent Observer program, etc. India with its strong mooring of ethics and ethical values is committed to eradicating doping in sports.

The first session was on 'strengthening collaboration of NADOs/RADOs for effective anti -doping program in region' and was delivered by the DG & CEO, NADA. Touching upon the recent initiatives taken by NADA in implementing the ABP program, Enhanced Sports specific testing, TUE awareness, Independent Observer Program, speak up mechanism and whistle blower policy etc., he spoke about the need for collaboration amongst member countries in this part of the world for ensuring a dope free sports culture. He promised the full support of NADA to the region and WADA in complying with the WADA code.

Mr. Steve Northey, Asst Director, Sports Operation, Australia Sports Anti Doping Authority (ASADA) delivered a lecture on the 'Risk Assessment Analysis for Test Distribution Planning (TDP) – Olympic 2020.' The highly scientific presentation was appreciated by the delegates as it gave an insight into the technical aspects of designing and implementing the TDP. The main objective for Tokyo 2020 will be to maximize the ability to detect dope, deter and exceed the targets set by WADA. NADA India is happy to work with ASADA in this objective.

The session on 'Adjudication of Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) cases' was given by Ms. Vibha Dutta Makhija who explained in detail about the working of the panel and the pains it takes to ensure a fair hearing to sports people.  'Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE)' was a keenly attended session addressed by Prof. Shalini Chawla and Prof. Bhattacharya. They spoke about the need for spreading TUE awareness amongst all medical professionals and also gave relevant examples to show how the entire system works.

The last two sessions of the first day of the symposium were on the 'Anti-Doping Education Program' by Dr PSM Chandran and a panel discussion on 'Adjudication of Non-Analytical ADRV cases' by Dr. Rana Chengappa, Ms. Surbhi Mehta and Arjuna Awardee Mr. Jagbir Singh. Both the sessions were highly interactive with specific cases being discussed along with the need for creating a level playing field for the sportspeople. It was emphasized repeatedly that a small minority of sports people use performance enhancing drugs and the effort of years can come to waste with one moment of indiscretion. The need for awareness amongst every stakeholder about prohibited substances is very high as there are lots of popular OTC drugs which are prescribed by doctors who have no idea about their impact on the career of a sports person. In India, the majority of players come from humble backgrounds and are completely devoted to their coaches and elders, it is vital that the coaches and doctors do not spoil their wards by knowingly or unknowingly giving wrong advice. 

The second day of the symposium saw sessions on Doping Control Officers’ roles and responsibilities, 'ABP program vs Scientific based testing, 'Implementation of best practices' and 'possible areas of collaborative assistance.'

The delegates from Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Qatar and Jordan appreciated the conduct of the symposium which provided great insights to them for dope control. They also thanked the hon’ble Sports Minister for the excellent hospitality provided by the Indian government.

Shri Navin Agarwal Director General & CEO NADA India assured the delegates of continued support and cooperation from the Indian side in enhancing the anti- doping measures in the region to conform with the international standards."