Six Olympics-bound athletes tested negative for doping

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday got good news ahead of the squad’s departure for the Tokyo Olympics as the first batch of six athletes, who were tested for performance-enhancing drugs, turned negative.

“We conducted dope tests of six athletes during mid-June. There is good news to share that all the tests of the first batch athletes turned negative. Tests on three more athletes were conducted in late June so we are expecting these results within a week time,” a top official of the Anti-Doping Organisation of Pakistan (ADOP) said.

Besides medal favourite Arshad Nadeem (javelin), the first batch comprised Najma Parveen (athletics), Ghulam Joseph and Khalil Akhtar (shooting), Bismah Khan, and Haseeb Tariq (swimming).

Tests on badminton player Mahoor Shahzad, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir (shooting), and Talha Talib (weightlifting) were conducted in late June. “We would not be in a position to know about their results unless and until by the end of the second week of July or a day or two ahead of their departure for Japan. In a post-Covid-19 era, the WADA has introduced new rules according to which each sample will have to complete 14 days in the laboratory before testing it to nullify the element of coronavirus. So it takes about 20 days now to get a result. Results are now available on those tests conducted in mid-June,” the official said.

Though it is not mandatory to put Olympics-bound athletes under test for performance drugs, the initiative was taken by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) considering a zero-tolerance policy and with a purpose that all athletes embarking on the keenly-awaited trip to Tokyo must be clean in all respects.

The POA has written a letter to the ADOP to conduct the dope tests at the earliest so that the results should be made available before athletes’ departure to Japan,” Dr Waqar Ahmed, chairman ADOP when contacted by ‘The News’ just after the samples were collected, said.

Following the previous experience of athletes during the 13th South Asian Games where three of the athletes were tested positive, the POA wanted to ensure that all athletes participating in the mega event should be clean in all respects.