Question : Performance Enhancing Drugs

(a) whether the incidence of doping or taking performance-enhancing drugs has risen of late amongst Indian athletes and sports persons;
(b) whether Indian athletes participating in any sports or athletic events at international levels were disqualified for testing positive for steroid use, if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Indian Weight-Lifting Association and such other bodies have recently suspended weight lifters and other sportspersons for testing positive for banned performance-enhancing substances;
(d) whether the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released the list of athletes and sportspersons tested positive for performance enhancing substances for 2013 in which India ranks third with 91 defaulters;
(e) whether the National Anti-Doping Agency, formed to help out-of-competition athletes and sports competitors has hardly been approached by them; and
(f) the proactive steps being taken by the Government to ensure that the Indian athletics and sports are dope free?

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR
YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
(SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)
(a) Dope positive / Anti-Doping Rule violation cases as a percentage of samples collected have largely remained unchanged in recent years. The percentage was 2.17 in 2013, 2.32 in 2014 and 2.27 in 2015.
(b) In the discipline of Weightlifting, the samples collected during the Commonwealth Senior, Junior and Youth Championship held from 11-15 October 2015 at Pune, two (2) Indian weightlifters were found positive during the dope test conducted by the International Weightlifting Federation at the event.
(c) During the calendar year 2015, a total number of 58 weightlifters have been found guilty of Anti-Doping Rule violation and the Disciplinary Proceedings have been initiated against them.
(d) Yes, Madam.
(e) & (f): National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) was established in 2009 with an aim to promote dope free-sports in the country. NADA regularly conducts dope testing in-competition and out-of-competition for the participating sportspersons. NADA has implemented the Registered Testing Pool for Elite Level Athletes to conduct dope test anytime and anywhere.
NADA also creates awareness about doping in sports through dissemination of information and educating sportspersons, coaches and support personnel through teaching sessions/seminars/workshops. NADA launched the “Program for Education and Awareness on Anti-Doping in Sports” (PEADS) in October 2014 with an objective to deal with the fight against doping across the country. The programme has been conducted at various places across the country during sports events / training sessions organized by NSFs, Association of all Intra Universities, SAI centres, SAI training centres, School Games Federation and Services Sports Control Boards. Further, to broaden the outreach program, Government of India has decided to establish five (5) regional outreach centres to increase the anti-doping education and awareness at all levels of sports in the country.
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