Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur has exhorted India’s athletes heading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to play safe, play clean and play fair in their quest to sustain India’s progress in sport. “They must observe the spirit of competition and integrity while reflecting India’s aspirations on the global stage,” he said on Friday.
He was speaking at a conference, Road to Paris 2024, hosted by the National Anti-Doping Authority (NADA) after virtually unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the Centre for Excellence in Nutritional Supplements Testing for Sportspersons (CoE-NSTS) at the National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar.
“It has been a long-standing desire of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to establish such a centre. This is the first step towards Atma-Nirbhartha (self-dependence) in the area of ensuring that our athletes consume supplements of quality and integrity,” he said. “While we spend crores on athletes, one mistake by them can be a blot on not only themselves but also the country.”
“The fight against doping is a collective responsibility of NADA, Sports Authority of India, Indian Olympic Association, National Sports Federations to ensure that the athletes have a level playing field,” Anurag Singh Thakur said. He praised the dedication of the country’s athletes and the National Sports Federations who strive to bring glory to the country.
Also Read: Sprinter Sanjeet Singh draws eight-year ban for second dope violation
The CoE-NSTS is India’s first laboratory that would screen nutritional supplements for contaminants that are on World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances and is a step towards assisting India’s sportspersons source dope-free supplements. It started with NADA signing a MOU with the Food Safety Standards Association of India.
In his message, NFSU Vice-Chancellor Dr JM Vyas said the CoE-NSTS is more than just a facility. “It is a testament to our unwavering dedication to the well-being and integrity of athletes. It houses a meticulous testing process, providing athletes with the assurance of the authenticity of their chosen nutritional supplements,” he said.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Secretary (Sports) Sujata Chaturvedi said there would be more such centres to test supplements for quality and integrity with athlete-welfare in mind. “With our desire to host the 2030 Youth Olympic Games and 2036 Olympic Games in India, the work ahead of us is enormous, with anti-doping being one of the strongest pillars.”
The National Dope Testing Laboratory Director and CEO Dr. PL Sahu revealed that it had worked during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide some critical substances to many WADA-accredited laboratories. He said such work had helped restore the image of NDTL in WADA, especially after the World body had suspended the laboratory’s accreditation in 2019 and revoked it in 2021.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here