NEW DELHI: Shotputter Inderjeet Singh on Tuesday became the
second Indian athlete to fail a drugs test in recent days, embroiling
the nation's Olympic squad in a doping scandal before next month's Rio
Games.
The Asian champion claimed he was the victim of a
conspiracy for criticising sports authorities after his A sample taken
during routine testing was found to contain a banned substance.
“I
am being targeted and it's a clear case of conspiracy against me. My
sample has been tampered with,” Singh, a gold medal winner at the Asian
Athletics Championships last year, said in a statement.
“Why would I take something which is not good for health?”
“I have been framed because I am outspoken,” the 28-year-old also told Indian TV stations.
An
Indian sports official said shotputter Singh tested positive for the
banned steroid Androsterone during out-of-competition testing by the
National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on June 22.
“NADA has
informed Inderjeet about the result. If he wants to test his B sample
then it has to be done within seven days,” said the official, who was
speaking on condition of anonymity.
The positive test
comes after revelations that Rio-bound wrestler Narsingh Yadav, a
Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 74kg freestyle category, also
failed a drugs test.
India has not yet decided the fate of either athlete.
Yadav also cried foul, claiming his water and food supplements were
contaminated with a banned steroid.
The country is about
to send its largest ever Olympic squad of more than 100 athletes in
hopes of improving its poor medal count.
The Rio Games
are set to start on Aug 5 with controversy raging over the International
Olympic Committee's decision not to impose a blanket ban to Russia,
accused of state-sponsored doping.
India has been rocked
by previous drugs scandals and is ranked third on a global list of
doping offenders compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency, behind Russia
and Italy.
In 2011 six top Indian women runners tested positive for banned steroids.
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