New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI): Triple jumper Sheena Varkey, known for her multiple national-level accolades and international representation, has been handed a suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after a positive test for a banned substance. Varkey, aged 32, participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. A reliable source confirmed the suspension to PTI without revealing the specific substance involved.
Hailing from Kerala, Varkey clinched a silver medal at the Uttarakhand National Games earlier this year and followed it up with a bronze at the Federation Cup. Notably, in 2018, she earned a silver at the Asian Indoor Championships. This latest test failure underscores a troubling trend of doping issues among Indian athletes.
Previously, on August 11, NADA imposed a three-year ban on National Games gold medalist discus thrower Gagandeep Singh, alongside several other athletes across various disciplines, after they admitted to their offences within 20 days of being charged. Representing Services, Singh secured a gold in men's discus with his best throw of 55.01m at the Uttarakhand National Games on February 12, but later faced suspension for testing positive for testosterone metabolites.
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 statistics, India's positivity rate for prohibited substances stands at 3.8%, with 214 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) from 5606 samples. Of these tests, 2748 were conducted in-competition. India's positivity rate is notably higher compared to countries like China, USA, France, Germany, and Russia, all of which maintain a rate of one percent or less.
Among sports, athletics leads the number of positive cases for India, with 61 AAFs from 1223 samples.
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