Salwan report on Rani in three days

The one-man Sushil Salwan enquiry committee, set up by the Amateur Athletic Federation of India to probe the Sunita Rani doping scandal, has completed its job and will submit its report in the next three or four days.

"The enquiry process is over, but I will need three or four more days to compile everything and submit the report," Salwan said on Thursday.

Salwan said compiling all the findings in such a short time is a "tough task" but he will try and submit the report as quickly as possible.

Salwan, who is also one of the vice-presidents of AAFI, had initially been given a week's time to submit his report but was later granted ten more days since "it was not possible to complete the entire process in such a short time".

Would he call Rani to depose again, in the wake of reports that there was a "huge difference" in the amount of the banned substance - nandrolone - detected in her 'A' and 'B' samples taken after the 1500 metres event?

"There is no need to call anyone now," he said.

Rani, who was stripped of her gold and bronze medals after failing dope tests at the recent Asian Games in Busan, had appeared before the enquiry committee twice and vehemently denied having taken any performance enhancing drugs.

The AAFI, under pressure from the world body to take disciplinary action against the drug-tainted athlete, had said that it will decide its future course of action only after receiving the report from its enquiry committee.

Although Rani's fight to prove her innocence received a shot in the arm following a report which quoted a medical expert as saying that the "huge difference" in the nandrolone level in the two tests was unheard of, her fate will largely depend on the Salwan committee report.

Salwan said his probe will also focus on whether such variations are possible. He added that he would seek medical opinion on all these aspects before finalising the report.

"I will be going into all these matters. I will have to take into account many factors. All these aspects will be covered in the report," he said.

Salwan said eleven persons were asked to depose before the committee. Apart from Sunita, her coach Renu Kohli and Dr Jawaharlal Jain, the doctor who had accompanied the Indian contingent to Busan, appeared before the committee twice.

If Rani is found guilty, she faces the risk of being banned for a minimum of two years as per rules laid down by the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

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