The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has informed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) that it can give no guarantee that there would not be any dope-related issues after the appointment of the controversial Ukrainian Yuri Ogorodnik as the coach of India’s 4x400m women’s relay team.
The Hindu had reported a fortnight ago that the SAI had asked AFI for an undertaking that the 77-year-old coach, some of whose trainees were banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, was medically fit, his medical expenses would be borne by AFI and that it should also take the responsibility for any possible doping issues.
AFI, through a letter to SAI on Tuesday, has agreed to those conditions, except the one regarding doping.
“AFI has already asked Mr. Ogorodnik to undergo a complete medical check-up in his country, Ukraine, and he will be submitting the same on his arrival,” said the letter.
AFI has also agreed to pay for the medical insurance of the coach. One of the reasons why SAI did not straightaway approve the proposal to appoint Ogorodnik was that it had felt that the coach’s medical bills could be huge and that he would not be covered by the insurance schemes it had opted for. About the doping issue, the AFI contended it will be virtually impossible to guarantee that any of the 187 athletes training at the National camps would not indulge in any act of doping. The AFI assured SAI that it is absolutely committed to wipe out doping from Indian athletics.
It also pointed out that the athletes are solely responsible for any act of doping. AFI added that nothing incriminating was found against Ogorodnik by either of the two enquiry committees, appointed by the Indian government, that probed the doping scandal involving the relay runners trained by the coach (they had won gold at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in 2010).
“In fact, both these reports mentioned Ogorodnik as a world-class coach and produced results for the country,” the letter from AFI said. It reiterated that he is the best choice as coach to get Indian athletics a medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The SAI would be issuing the appointment order and flight tickets to Ogorodnik soon, now that it has received the letter from the AFI.
“We have no other option,” said a SAI official. “SAI is very well aware of the issues, but after the clearance from the Sports Ministry, we didn’t want to be seen as the body that stopped India from winning an Olympic medal.”
