Kunjarani waging a losing battle

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, AUG. 27. Kunjarani Devi is knocking on all possible doors, but she might just be fighting in vain.

The Sports Authority of India's Executive Director (Teams Wing), Mr. O. P. Bhatia was of the view that Kunjarani might have ``knowingly or unknowingly'' taken some medication which contained the stimulant, and she should write to the IWF mentioning it and plead for pardon or reduction of the suspension period.

``Our sportspersons take herbal medicine, which is not in the list of banned substances,'' Mr. Bhatia said.

Kunjarani's urine sample tested by SAI's Sports Medicine laboratory here on June 8, had come clean.

With the Weightlifting Federation of India (WFI) currently dissolved and a two-member ad hoc committee running the weightlifting affairs in the country, Kunjarani finds herself caught in a piquant situation.

``I have not taken anything to boost my performance. I just had three cups of coffee on the morning of the competition, which might have shown traces of the banned substance,'' Kunjarani said on her arrival from Patiala. She was in the Indian camp preparing for the Afro-Asian Games scheduled here in November.

Asked whether she would take an option of getting her `B' sample tested, Kunjarani said she was undecided. ``If `A' sample has come positive, what is the guarantee that `B' sample will come negative. The process of collecting the sample itself was defective,'' she claimed.

But her assertion that the sample she gave got contaminated as she was not provided with a fresh bottle after it had fallen and urine was spilled on the floor, may not stand.

``If she had any doubts over the procedures, then she should not have signed the form which every sportsperson has to fill after providing the urine sample,'' said Mr. Balbir Singh, member of the ad hoc committee. The copy of the form that Kunjarani had filled in and signed, states that she was satisfied with the procedures conducted at the laboratory. ``How can she now contest that the sample got contaminated ?'' he questioned.

Mr. Balbir Singh also contested Kunjarani's claim that she had coffee before the competition. ``If she had taken more coffee than the prescribed limits then she should have mentioned it in the form,'' he said. Apparently, Kunjarani stated that she only took `dispirin', which anyway does not contain any banned substances.

``We, however, would like to help her out in this case. She should come to us and we will see what can be done,'' Mr. Balbir said.

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Section  : Sport
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