What’s the story?
India javelin thrower Davinder Singh has tested positive for the use of marijuana after testing samples were taken from him during the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi in May.
Marijuana comes under the banned substance list in the World Anti-Doping Agency code along with other recreational drugs for the athletes. Although Davinder has not been suspended, he will have to face a disciplinary hearing of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) and could face sanctions under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
“An athlete who participated in the Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi has tested positive for marijuana. As marijuana falls under the specified substances list as per the WADA code he has not been provisionally suspended. However, we will have to go into the details of his case to see if he has can be prosecuted under the narcotic drugs act,” Navin Agarwal, the director general of NADA said on Friday.
In case you didn’t know...
Davinder Singh has been in the best form of his life over the last few weeks, coming up with a throw of 84.57m in the Indian Grand Prix which is his personal best, easily bettering the London World Championship’s entry standard of 83m. In the Federation Cup early this month, he threw at a 83.82m in Patiala. He has been in amazing touch this season, improving on his personal best throw by more than four metres and booking a ticket for the upcoming World Championships in London later this year.
The heart of the matter
There has been a great debate over years on whether recreational drugs such as marijuana help improve an athlete’s performance, and many experts feel that they do not. However, there is a section of people who believe that the euphoric effect the drug produces has the ability to increase alertness for short spells and could possibly enhance performance.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has recieved a number of cannabinoid abuse cases in the past, including that of former India hockey goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza who tested positive for marijuana in 2012 and these are often tricky to deal with.
Davinder Singh was to represent India in the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Bhubaneshwar in July, but unless he is exonerated, or let off with a reprimand, his participation in the Championships is likely to be affected.
What’s next?
Suspensions could range from three months to two years under the 2009 code and could go up to four years under the 2015 code, if NADA can prove intentional wrongdoing. The punishment could be reduced to two years in case “no significant fault or negligence” can be established. If there is “no fault or negligence”, Davinder may even be let off with a warning.
Since there is no provisional suspension for cannabinoids, Davinder, if selected, could still compete in the Asian Championships.
Author’s take
The news of javelin thrower Davinder Singh failing a drug test shocked many. With the sport already lagging behind in the Indian sports hierarchy, a doping scandal wouldn’t do the sport much good. Hopefully, this was just negligence on Davinder’s part and he can be cleared for the upcoming tournaments in Bhubaneshwar and London.
