Ichha Sharma, Pune
National record holder Dutee Chand, renowned for her sprinting prowess, has been handed a severe four-year suspension due to her failure in an out-of-competition drug test. This decision comes as a significant blow to her career. Notably, Dutee had set a new women’s record in India by clocking 11.17 seconds in the 100m event during the 2021 Indian Grand Prix 4.
The ban’s effective commencement date is January 3, 2023. Consequently, all competitive achievements and outcomes obtained by Dutee since the date of the sample collection (December 5, 2022) will be nullified. Additionally, she is required to relinquish any medals, points, and prizes she earned during this period, in accordance with The Times of India’s report.
The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP), as reported by the publication, highlighted that while Dutee was able to provide evidence regarding the source of the prohibited substance she consumed, she couldn’t establish her innocence in terms of significant fault or negligence.
The ADDP’s assessment indicated that Dutee failed to demonstrate that her violation of the anti-doping rule was unintentional. The panel outlined several reasons for this determination:
- Dutee purportedly consulted her physiotherapist rather than a physician when faced with the situation.
- She neglected to verify the medicine’s label for its contents before consumption.
- Dutee didn’t cross-reference the drug’s components with the latest published list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
As a consequence, Dutee has been found in violation of “articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).” She is consequently subjected to a four-year ineligibility period according to “article 10.2.1.1 of the NADA ADR 2021,” commencing from the provisional suspension date, i.e., January 3, 2023.
However, Dutee still has a window of 21 days to challenge the verdict by filing an appeal against the order.
Dutee Chand’s situation took a downturn when she underwent two tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in December 2022. Following the detection of prohibited anabolic steroids in her system, she was provisionally suspended. The samples yielded adverse analytical findings (AAF) for substances such as ‘mandarin’, ‘ostarine’, and ‘ligandrol’. This revelation prompted her suspension and eventual ban, casting a shadow over her previously illustrious athletic career.