Union Sports Ministry critical of BCCI for conducting ‘unauthorized’ dope test on Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw, the talented 19-year-old Indian cricketer, has recently been handed over a backdated eight-month suspension. The ban is seemed to have started to commence of March 16, 2019 and will stay until November 15, 2019. The youngster has been tested positive for ingesting a prohibited substance named Terbutaline, which can mostly be found in cough syrups.

Back in February 22, in Indore during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy, he had provided a urine sample as a part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) anti-doping testing programme. His sample was tested and was found to have contained the substance. He was thereafter meted out with the punishment and has to wait some time before he starts his journey on the field.

Sports Ministry bashes the BCCI for Shaw’s suspension

In the meantime, the Union Sports Ministry has come down hard on the BCCI for conducting the tests with its own setup as per reports in India TV. In a letter to the world’s richest cricket board, the Sports Ministry lashed out at the cricket board. The Ministry said the anti-doping program of BCCI is neither authorised by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) or World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Hence, it doesn’t hold the right to conduct dope tests or hand over punishment to someone on that basis. The conflict between the Sports Ministry and the BCCI has been an everlasting one as the latter has rejected the idea of signing up with the NADA. BCCI has claimed to own vigorous mechanism to keep Indian cricket free from doping.

However, the Ministry denied BCCI’s claim and stated in its letter that in 2018 the cricket body had sent 215 samples for testing and out of which five tested positive. The letter also mentioned that the BCCI didn’t find the need to inform them about how the athletes were dealt with. The letter also questioned the BCCI’s system in dealing with doping cases.

As per the NADA protocol, which has been adopted from the WADA, an independent panel must be formed which should have no prior contact with the parties involved. But in the Indian cricket board, the BCCI itself seems to form the panel, being the party, and authorize the proceeding. The Ministry reckons that the same is not in accordance to the laws of WADA.