Athlete Ashwini Akkunji’s B sample returned Positive for Anabolic Steroid

Ashwini Akkunji’s B sample returned positive for anabolic steroid on 11 July quashing her chances to participate in 2012 London Olympics. The B sample of another quartermiler, Priyanka Panwar also came positive.

The athletes tested positive will face a National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) hearing panel and are likely to face a ban of up to two years as it is their first offence.

The two-year ban would force Ashwini to miss the Games old to miss the Games scheduled to be held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. She will also miss the 27 August- 4 September World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

The B samples of six of the eight athletes came positive.  Four others who also are also likely to face two-year bans are Akkunji's 4x400 metre relay partners Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose besides Jauna Murmu and Tiana Mary.

The sports ministry made a modification on 11 July 2011 to an earlier order relating to constitution of a one-member committee to probe the cases of doping. The ministry named Vidushpat Singhania to assist the committee under Justice Mukul Mudgal in place of NADA's senior project manager V Jayaramaan who led NADA's raid in SAI's Bangalore centre. The committee was given six weeks to submit its report.