NADA bans distance runner G Lakshmanan for 2 years due to multiple whereabouts failures

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has imposed a two-year ban on Indian distance runner G Lakshmanan for three whereabouts clause violations, including one missed test. Lakshmanan secured two gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m in the Asian Athletics Championships 2017.

It’s important to note that the athlete failed to file his whereabouts information during the third and fourth quarters in 2022 and missed a test in March 2023.

G Lakshmanan, who was included in NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP) for the major part of 2022, was handed a two-year ban by the NADA’a Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel from August 10, 2023.

Athletes enrolled in the NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to submit their whereabouts information every quarter, detail their regular activities, and designate a 60-minute daily window during which they will be available for testing.

Failure by RPT athletes to submit their whereabouts information or failure to be available during their specified 60-minute window constitutes a whereabouts failure. Accumulation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period by an RTP athlete may lead to an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) and subsequent sanctions.

On August 10, 2023, NADA notified the athlete of an ADRV, resulting in his provisional suspension from participating in any further events pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.

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G Lakshmanan acknowledged his whereabouts failure

During the hearing, G Lakshmanan acknowledged the filing failures regarding his whereabouts information but explained that he missed the test due to his daughter’s serious illness.

He further submitted that he encountered technical difficulties while attempting to update his whereabouts information. Additionally, he mentioned being injured and undergoing Ayurvedic treatment during the specified period.

NADA stated that the Dope Control Officer (DCO) visited the location provided in the athlete’s whereabouts information within the designated 60-minute slot between 7 pm to 8 pm.

Eventually, the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel deemed Lakshmanan’s explanations “unsatisfactory” and imposed a two-year ban from August 10, 2023, the date of the provisional suspension.

“The athlete’s explanations presented in defense are deemed unsatisfactory, as the athlete had enough time to update his whereabouts information but failed to do so,” the panel said as quoted by PTI.

“… the athlete has violated Article 2.4 of the ADR (Anti-Doping Rules of the NADA), 2021 and he is hereby sanctioned with an ineligibility period of two years from the date of provisional suspension that is 10.08.2023,” the panel stated.

WADA's 2.4 clause anti-doping rules state violations of applicable requirements regarding Athlete availability for out-of-competition Testing including failure to provide required whereabouts information and missed tests are declared based on reasonable rules.