219 athletes flee the venue as dope test panic leads to mass withdrawal at UP Weightlifting Championship: Reports

In a rare and startling event, the UP Weightlifting Championship witnessed a mass flee of participants after it was announced a dope test would be conducted. More than half of the registered weightlifters abandoned the competition as soon as they learned that the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) team was on-site to conduct tests, as reported by Amarujala.

As a result, several weight categories were left with minimal or no participation, leading to a significant disruption in the championship.

The panic kicked in when participants, during the weighing process, learned that NADA would be collecting samples for dope testing in the championship as well. This caused a large-scale withdrawal, with 126 out of 252 male lifters and 93 out of 177 female lifters opting out of the competition.

The sudden departure of so many athletes led to the cancellation of several weight categories, as there were no competitors left to participate.

While incidents of athletes withdrawing from tournaments due to the fear of dope tests are not uncommon, the scale of it at the UP Weightlifting Championship was unprecedented.

Of 519 lifters who had registered to compete, many fled the venue, resulting in little to no competition in several categories. The event highlighted a growing concern about doping practices in weightlifting and raised questions about the integrity of state-level tournaments.

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Consequences of mass withdrawal and NADA's dope testing announcement at UP Weightlifting Championship

The Ashmita Khelo India Zonal League and UP Weightlifting Championship, held in Modinagar, had attracted 519 weightlifters. NADA was invited by the Indian Weightlifting Association to conduct tests during the Khelo India Zonal League, causing some athletes to leave prematurely.

Following this, the UP Weightlifting Association requested NADA to conduct tests during the state championship. While it is unusual for state championships to have dope testing, NADA agreed to the request. However, the lifters were not immediately informed about the decision.

The UP Weightlifting Championship turned into a disjointed event, with only a handful competing across many weight categories. In some cases, there was only one competitor, rendering the contest effectively non-competitive. The incident has raised concerns about doping in Indian weightlifting, particularly at the state level, and the fear it generates among athletes.

The mass withdrawal of athletes highlights the pressing issue of maintaining fairness and transparency in competitive weightlifting, especially as more athletes are tested under national anti-doping guidelines.