Drugs, lies and tear-jerkers

A leading vernacular daily in the south Indian state of Kerala recently ran an eight-column story above the lead on national-medal-winning 400m runner Jasmin Joseph.

She is one of the eight athletes who have tested positive for banned substances during the recent 33rd National Games, according to Indian Olympic Committee, the report said.

The story did not portray Jasmin as a victim but rather presented to its readers the predicament of the national champion.

Jasmin had tested positive once earlier during an inter-varsity meet. Now that she is tested positive two times, she is not sure of the IOC verdict.

Jasmin, who lost her father two months ago, is the only hope of the poor family, said the story. What she calls home is a two-room mud house. She was hoping to join a college for her post-graduate course on the merit of her sporting achievements.

I spoke to the reporter since Jasmin was away in Delhi. A general reporter who doesn’t know much about doping in sports and its intricacies, all he spoke of was Jasmin’s plight.

Jasmin swears that she did not use any performance-enhancing substance, and the banned substance must have entered her body through a medicine which she took for cold (later she said it was chikungunya, a viral infection that was rampant in Kerala at that time). She may be right. But, as a national winner she must be aware of the dangers of taking “any medicine”.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is firm in their stance. They send out regular list of banned substances and conduct awareness campaigns during major Games.

But one wonders how far does an athlete like Jasmin, who has pinned all her hopes on her athletic career, know about doping and its punishment.

When I interviewed David Howman, the second top official of Wada, a couple of years ago, he said the “caught” athletes are not victims of the system but cheats. He underlined Wada’s commitment to root out doping and that professional athletes must be responsible for “what’s on their body”.

We saw the classic case of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who were banned before the World Cup for testing positive. They are prominent, world-class cricketers who must know about the dangers of reckless use of medicine.

In countries like India and Pakistan, and for that matter, those in the Middle East, awareness on doping must be widened. The athletes must know that they are playing with fire, and if they are taking any medicine they must make sure they do not contain any banned substance.

Local associations or national Olympic committee of each country must make sure that its athletes are aware of doping and Wada. Coaches must be educated on the possible ways through a banned substance can enter an athlete’s body.

Yes, Jasmin’s story maybe a tear-jerker but rules are not sticks to be broken. In an age of pod-casting and phone-casting, athletes from the Third World are still mostly in the dark about what’s happening around the world.