Most sportsmen do not respect fair play

“More than Four million rupees from public funds was spent on drug testing at the SAF games. Each test costs US$ 200 and we did 200 tests,” said Director General of Sports Medicine Dr. Githanjan Mendis in an interview with The Sunday Times.

He added that a lot of sportsmen and women did not respect the unwritten rule of ‘fair play’. With more and more money being pumped in to sports, many people are trying to gain an unfair advantage over their respective opponents. As a result the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) was formed. Now no international event will be sanctioned unless tests for banned substances are carried. The reasons for the high cost of each test are that firstly the equipment needed is very costly and secondly there are only five accredited centres for these tests are located in Asia. The countries are Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

“All International Sports Bodies have signed the WADA convention. And it is not only to ensure fair play that these drugs have been banned. Using these substances can in the long run result in the decaying of skin and bones. These substances can also affect the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. These sanctions act as a deterrent and the final objective is to have drug free sports,” said Dr. Mendis.

Dr. Mendis also corrected a misconception about cricket. “We did 40 tests at the Junior World Cup held earlier this year. The good thing was that all the tests were negative. Then take Sanath Jayasuriya for example. He had an injury on the knee which required an injection of a substance which is on the list of banned drugs. I had to fill out a request which is known as Therapeutic Use Exemption and get permission from the ICC before I could administer the steroid. As for Susanthika Jayasinghe, we could have given her a drug that would have helped her get over her illness much faster. The reason we did not do it is because it was unlikely that an exemption would have been granted for that particular drug,” he said.

In Sri Lanka there have been numerous controversies following positive dope tests. What many do not understand is that the process is extremely stringent. First a notification is given to the Doping Control Chaperone who in turns gives it to the person who is going to be tested. He or she signs the form stating that they understand the contents. The respective person is then escorted to the Doping Control Station by the chaperone. Along with the chaperone the person selects a sealed box containing two sealed bottles marked ‘A and ‘B’. Once the sample is ready the person again seals the bottles and the box. The box is opened only at the testing centre. Thus the chance of tampering is extremely minimal.

The disciplinary committee at each event takes in to consideration humanitarian issues before submitting its recommendations to WADA. WADA in turn rarely turns down the recommendation. The first offence can result in a ban of six months to one year. A second offence could result in a ban of up to four years. However, with regard to the two boxers from Pakistan, the Committee took in to the consideration the fact that they admitted taking a banned substance and pleaded for leniency because they come from lower income backgrounds. As result they were given the minimal punishment of six months. On the other hand the Nepalese athlete who did not even come to for the inquiry, may well face the maximum penalty. Dr. Mendis added that WADA along with the ICC were reviewing the lifting of the ban on the two Pakistani cricketers. “They are taking his issue very seriously.” he said

“Presidents Counsel Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe is known to WADA. Thus it very likely WADA will agree with his committee’s recommendations. As for Jani Chaturangi, her fate will only be known next week. The reason is that one of the disciplinary committee members namely Uditha Egalahewa is suffering from Chikungunya and has asked for three more days. However her situation is not good as both tests done revealed a high level of Nandrolone,” said Dr Mendis in conclusion.