Days before Prithvi Shaw was banned till November for failing the dope test, it is has come to light that Sports Ministry shot a letter to the BCCI criticising the cricket board and its anti-doping set-up.
BCCI
The tussle between the government and the BCCI isn't something new, as both have been at loggerheads for quite some time. It should be recalled that the BCCI doesn't come under the purview of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), an autonomous body mandated to keep sports clean. For years, the goverment has been trying to get BCCI to get in line, but to no avail.?
While all other sports fall under the ambit of NADA, cricket is yet to fall in line. The cricket board has cited irregulations in testing agency's methods as a reason for not complying with its rules. The BCCI has also claimed that it is not a government-funded federation, and can't be pulled and brought under the NADA jurisdiction. They also claim to have a robust mechanism in place to keep cricket clean.
PTI
But the ministry in a letter was having none of it, and said, ˇ°The claim of BCCI having a robust mechanism to ensure Indian cricket is clean and free from doping is not based on facts,ˇ± the letter said. ˇ°In 2018, 215 samples were sent by BCCI to National Dope Testing Laboratory, India, for testing. Of these, 5 tested positive. There is no information as to how these athletes who tested positive have been dealt with."
The rumbling doesn't stop there, as government has also blamed the cricket board of being widely involved in doping cases. The NADA follows the World Anti Doping Agency rules. And the WADA rules state that an independent panel is to be formed that has no ˇ°prior involvementˇ± with the parties involved to conduct doping tests. In case of BCCI, they don't follow such procedures.?
After Prithvi Shaw's ban, the debate has intensified. The goverment and the cricket board are in a better feud and it doesn't seem to dry down. It might rumble on for quite some time.