Star gymnast Dipa serving a 21-month ban for doping

India’s prime gymnast Dipa Karmakar, has been serving a suspension for a 21-month interval, efficient till 10 July, 2023 after testing constructive for higenamine, in line with a press release from International Testing Agency (ITA).

Higenamine, a stimulant, is listed beneath Beta-2 Agonists, (of the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited checklist). According to anti-doping literature of the US Anti

Doping Agency, higenamine acts as a common stimulant. It helps lungs to absorb extra oxygen, and is prohibited out and in of competitors. Karmakar remained unavailable for remark.

The ITA whereas confirming the constructive  end result added: “The positive sample was collected on behalf of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) in the scope of an out-of-competition control on 11 October 2021.”

ITA added that the case was resolved beneath case decision of article 10.8.2 of the FIG Anti-Doping Rules (FIG ADR, and equal provision within the World Anti-Doping Code). 10.8.2 says, “Where the Athlete or other Person admits an anti-doping rule violation after being confronted with the anti-doping rule violation by FIG and agrees to Consequences acceptable to FIG and WADA, at their sole discretion, then: (a) the Athlete or other Person may receive a reduction in the period of Ineligibility based on an assessment by FIG and WADA of the application of Articles 10.1 through 10.7 to the asserted anti-doping rule violation, the seriousness of the violation, the Athlete or other Person’s degree of Fault and how promptly the Athlete or other Person admitted the violation; and (b) the period of Ineligibility may start as early as the date of Sample collection or the date on which another anti-doping rule violation last occurred.”

“The choice by WADA and FIG to enter or not enter right into a case decision settlement, and the quantity of the discount to, and the beginning date of, the interval of Ineligibility will not be issues for dedication or assessment by a listening to physique and will not be topic to attraction beneath Article 13. If so requested by an Athlete or different

Person who seeks to enter right into a case decision settlement beneath this Article, FIG shall enable the Athlete or different Person to debate the admission of the anti-doping rule violation with it topic to a Without Prejudice Agreement,” the rule provides. This guidelines out the possibilities of an attraction and factors to admission after being confronted with the check outcomes.

Karmakar first got here to prominence on the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the place her high-scoring Produnova vault earned her a bronze. She subsequently completed 4th on the Rio Olympics, and went on to win a World Cup medal thereafter. The Tripura gymnast had undergone a knee surgical procedure and been in rehab for many half since 2018. She has not competed within the intervening interval for the reason that acknowledged date of testing as per ITA.

When requested again in March 2022, FIG had avoided commenting “regarding this matter.” President of the Indian gymnastics governing physique, Sudhir Mittal informed the Express that they’d acquired no intimation concerning the suspension from FIG.