Inderjeet reiterates conspiracy claim

Shot putter Inderjeet Singh, who was suspended following a positive dope test last month, has reiterated his claim that there was a conspiracy against him citing a disparity in test reports.

Inderjeet has demanded that he be sent to Rio at the earliest since his event is on August 18.

Shot putter Inderjeet Singh, who was suspended following a positive dope test last month, has reiterated his claim that there was a conspiracy against him citing a disparity in test reports.

“There are now conflicting reports regarding the same sample — earlier stating that the dope test conducted on me on June 29 was negative and later saying that the same sample has returned positive,” Inderjeet told the media here on Thursday.

Accompanied by his lawyer R. K. Anand, the shot putter also presented three letters sent to him to back his claim — while one from the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) dated August 5 says he had tested positive for the sample collected during the inter-State senior championships on June 29, two from the Athletics Federation of India, dated July 26 and August 10, both insist that there were no banned substances found in his urine sample.

Sources said that the NADA had now sought an advance test on his June 29 sample to clarify the matter. Also, the sample was supposedly subjected to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) test to determine whether the concerned steroid had entered the body from an external source and was positive.

Requesting the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter, Inderjeet has demanded that he be sent to Rio at the earliest since his event is on August 18. “I have worked extremely hard for the last 15 years to reach this level and the doping cloud has caused me great anguish and mental agony,” he added.

Inderjeet had become the first Indian track and field athlete to qualify for Rio.