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The international weightlifting federation decided to
drop the case over “non-conformities” in the handling of her sample, taken
ahead of the 2017 worlds in Las Vegas
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New
Delhi(Agencies) : International
Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has cleared India’s K Sanjita Chanu of
anti-doping violation over charges brought up in November 2017 citing “non
conformities” in the handling of her sample. The Manipur lifter had tested
positive for testosterone, a banned anabolic steroid, in an out-of-competition
test conducted by the United States Anti Doping Agency before taking part in
the 2017 world championships in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old 53kg lifter
expressed relief, and looked ahead. “It will give me an opportunity now to
apply for the Arjuna Award as the date has been extended,” she said on phone
from Imphal. The last date for submission is June 22.
Chanu is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist—at
Glasgow in 2014 (48kg) and in Gold Coast in 2018 (53kg). Her exoneration comes
two days after the lifter, who has denied any wrongdoing, threatened to sue to
world body for damages as the case dragged on. On Wednesday, she told AFP: “I
will talk to a counsel and take legal action against the world body and seek
damages. I am relieved yes, but what about the time I have lost?”
IWF legal counsel Lilla Sagi sent an email to the lifter
on Monday informing that the case has been closed following the recommendation
of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).
“On May 28, WADA
had informed IWF that “due to certain non-conformities at the time of the
analysis of the sample with the IRMS analytical method of the laboratory (which
have since been corrected to the satisfaction of the WADA Laboratory Expert
Group), WADA recommends --out of fairness to the athlete-- that the case
against the athlete based on the sample be closed.” As a result, IWF has
decided to withdraw the charges against the athlete based on sample 1599000 and
to close the matter,” IWF said in a letter to Chanu.
Although Chanu failed the test in November 2017, she was
provisionally suspended by IWF only in May 2018. That allowed her to
participate in the Gold Coast CWG in April that year, and she won gold.
The last two years had been mentally draining for the
family due to the stain of doping on Chanu, her brother Bijen Kumar said.
“Since Chanu was provisionally suspended, she couldn’t compete in
IWF-sanctioned events and missed the chance to participate in the Olympic
qualification cycle,” he said.
Chanu had appeared before the IWF hearing committee in
Budapest and the panel decided to lift the provisional suspension on January
22, 2019.
“We are yet to
think of compensation as we had to spend more than R25 lakh in travelling and
in legal expenses,” Kumar said.
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