Twinkle Chaudhary shows up dope positive, AIU imposes a provisional ban

Twinkle Chaudhary’s provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit after she tested positive for Methyltestosterone has sent shock waves in the sports community beyond the Athletics Federation of India. News of her failing a dope test has been seen as being among the biggest in some time since she is an athlete being supported by the Reliance Foundation.

Of course, athletes like javelin throwers DP Manu (out with a four-year suspension), Shivpal Singh (placed on provisional suspension) and Dutee Chand (four year ban) are surely bigger names than Twinkle Chaudhary, but her decision to quit Railways and bank on corporate support to further her athletics career makes her positive among the bigger incidents.

It is not clear if she failed a test at the Asian Championships Gumi or in Taiwan. But the time she spent away from the Reliance Foundation facility in Mumbai and in a high altitude training centre will have to come under the scanner as the possible time where a prohibited substance made its way into her system. 

NADA collected her samples twice during the National Games in Dehradun in February and again on April 24 at the Federation Cup in Kochi. It is likely that she would have been tested out of competition sometime in May before leaving for the Asian Championships as required by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 

It will be interesting to see if the sample/s, especially the one collected in May, has also returned positive for Methyltestosterone. There have been instances when NDTL results of samples collected by NADA have come after AIU has announced a positive test. It probably indicates that NDTL has been slow in securing the results through chromatography and spectrometry.

As luck would have it, AIU announced the provisional suspension on the very day that the Athletics Federation of India held a review meeting with its stakeholders on the decentralisation of camps. While welcoming the investments in and backing of athletes, AFI stressed on the importance of keeping them away from prohibited substances. 

The 29-year-old Twinkle Chaudhary became the fourth fastest Indian woman to run the half mile behind Tintu Luka, Shiny Wilson and KC Rosa Kutty. Her time of 2:00.71 in the Federation Cup Championships in Kochi was the 10th fastest time ever by an Indian woman over the distance.  She finished fourth in the Asian Championships in 2:03.33.

You can call these growth pangs and believe that things will get better from here on. But the fact that more than 180 track and field athletes are ineligible to compete at the moment – either serving sanctions imposed by Anti-Doping Organisations or have got into Case Resolution Agreements or are placed on provisional suspension – can be very disheartening.

Without pre-judging the athlete’s response to the notice of allegation, such incidents will only hurt Indian sport at a time when a range of corporates are investing in athletics. While they feel encouraged by the rise of Indian athletics in the continent and by the waves made by some in the global events, news of doping by an athlete in their ranks can be rather discouraging.

It is important for sports organisations that have encouraged and invested in athletes’ development to go beyond the sanctions that Anti-Doping Organisations may impose for anti-doping rule violations. It is critical to go beyond the obvious and find out not only the motive but also the supply chain so that the disease, not just the symptom, is treated.