Indian sportspersons should have access to dope-free supplements, says Vijay Goel

In a day-long conclave, India’s sports minister reassured that the government would take tough measures for anti-doping to ensure “a healthy ecosystem for development of sports” in the country.

Vijay Goel felt that substandard and dope-laced nutritional supplements were the major reason for unsuspecting athletes getting trapped in doping.

The Union sports minister Vijay Goel reassured that the government would take tough measures for anti-doping to ensure “a healthy ecosystem for development of sports” in the country.

Addressing the gathering in a day-long conclave on Thursday, the sports minister said that the time was ripe to provide safe and quality nutrition to the athletes in the wake of increasing cases of dope in the international arena. The minister felt that substandard and dope-laced nutritional supplements were the major reason for unsuspecting athletes getting trapped in dope, and appreciated the initiative of the various regulatory authorities towards providing dope-free nutritional products.

The collaboration of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) along with other related agencies was viewed as the best way forward to improve physical fitness standards in the country in a dope-free atmosphere.

Awareness drive

The minister also called all the stakeholders to have a drive towards mass awareness about the “vicious effects” of doping.

More than catching the doped athletes, the minister stressed that it was important to strengthen measures to prevent doping. The deliberations during the conclave, attended by CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Kumar Aggarwal, scientists, nutritionists, sports persons, sports federation officials, laboratory directors and other regulatory authorities, is expected to “provide a road map of regulatory mechanism for dope free nutritional supplements”.