Sixteen year old Aryaan Bhatia fails dope test, says NADA

Aryaan Bhatia registers an unwanted record after becoming the first Indian tennis player to fail a dope test and has been put under provisional suspension says the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said on Friday.

The 16-year-old Bhatia's urine sample was taken during the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship held here in October last year. The NADA had collected samples for the first time from tennis players during the championship.

The national doping watchdog also provisionally suspended seven other sportspersons last month for flunking dope tests including the young gun Aryaan Bhatia. They are Sandeep Kaur (powerlifting), Ankit Gosai (handball), Jithu Thomas (volleyball), Yaiphaba (canoeing), Vishan Singh (kayaking and canoeing) and Shivam Kasana (cycling).

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Middle distance runner Monika Chaudhary, who had moved Delhi High Court to secure a trial ahead of last year's Asian Games and later tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), has been handed a four-year ban by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

The ADDP also handed four-year bans to hockey player Bharat Singh and hammer thrower Ginjan Singh. 

The ban period of decathlete Jagtar Singh, who tested positive for Meldonium during the Federation Cup Athletics Championships in 2017, has been reduced from four years to two years by the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel.

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) also said that it has conducted 675 dope tests, including 57 blood samples, in the last month. This remains to be seen if the young lads take it as a lesson and come back strongly for future tournaments. 

(With Inputs: PTI)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The 16-year-old Aryaan Bhatia fails the dope test. 
• Last month, seven other sports person failed the dope test. 
• NADA conducted 675 dope tests, including 57 blood samples.