The Calicut University crew which received the general title within the National males’s inter-university athletics championships in Chennai on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: Special association
The presence of the National Anti-Doping Agency on the National males’s inter-university athletics championships, which concluded in Chennai on Sunday, was an enormous motive for Calicut University successful the general crew title there, says Sakeer Hussain, the college’s director of bodily schooling.
“We are winning the title after 12 years and the big difference this time was the presence of NADA. We would have won the women’s title also had NADA been present during the recent women’s National varsities championship in Bhubaneswar,” mentioned Sakeer, the Calicut University’s sports head, in a chat with The Hindu on Monday.
“Many athletes are using steroids. My students said many rooms were full of syringes. We need NADA in all inter-university athletics meets in future because after these meets, most of them get into Indian camps…if they test positive, that will affect the national federation (AFI) or the Indian team. Doping is a major problem in AIU (Association of Indian Universities) meets.”
Incidentally, The Hindu’s report concerning the presence of syringes and vials in stadium washrooms throughout the ladies’s varsities Nationals in Bhubaneswar, held earlier than the boys’s Nationals, had compelled the NADA to check athletes in Chennai.
Sakeer additionally mentioned having the camp in three phases and specialised mixed coaching for relay groups on the college’s headquarters additionally helped Calicut in an enormous approach on the National meet.
Xavior Poulose, a Kerala Sports Council coach connected to Thrissur’s St. Thomas College who went with the Calicut University crew to Chennai, felt the varsities meets needs to be organised in a greater approach.
“The AIU meets are not being conducted in a proper way. We had the South Zone meet two days before the all-India championship. Nobody cares about the athletes or their welfare.
“The performance of many athletes was fantastic in the South Zone but when NADA turned up at the National championships, things were different. The performance came down in a big way.”
Madras University had received the South Zone championship (131 factors) whereas Mangalore was runner-up with 74.
“We finished third in the South Zone but after NADA turned up at the all-India meet there were many who did not start or finish their events,” mentioned Xavier.
In the 5000m, 4 of the 16 runners within the startlist for the ultimate didn’t begin the race whereas two didn’t end.
