Tainted lifters Shailaja Pujari and Vicky Batta failed dope tests again and face life bans, the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) confirmed on Monday. IWF secretary B R Gulati said woman lifter Shailaja (75kg) and her male counterpart Vicky (56kg) tested positive for banned substances during random testing.
So, what's the solution to the latest controversy to hit Indian cricket? Are the Indian players and BCCI are right in not signing the anti-doping code? Should the players fall in line and sign up for the clause like all the other top athletes around the world?
BCCI finally agreed to come under the ambit of NADA, in the process becoming a National Sports Federation despite being financially autonomous.
Following badminton World No 1 Lee Chong Wei's provisional ban, Rediff.com brings you ten top sports persons who gave in to drugs - one of the mighty perils that has affected modern sporting culture.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday rejected the contention of the World Anti-Doping Agency in Pakistan that it has violated of the global body's rules by prematurely identifying Pakistani paceman Mohammad Asif who failed a dope test during the Indian Premier League in India. BCCI's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said the Board has followed all the correct procedures and taken the right step by naming Asif.
Indian racer Arjun Maini made a strong start to his highly-anticipated debut in the European LeMans Series, recording the second fastest laptime in the qualifying session of the race.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap knocked out top seed Lee Hyun Il of Korea in the men's singles opening round of the US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Anaheim, United States.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's obsessive pursuit of excellence and a new-found sprint sensation in Hima Das gave Indian athletics audacious Olympic hopes but familiar dope shame kept things in perspective in an eventful 2018.
At its board meeting in Dubai last week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) dismissed the BCCI's request to sever ties with countries from where terrorism emanates, though the Indian Board did not make a specific reference to Pakistan.
Sensational media reports of widespread blood doping in world athletics has also pointed the finger of suspicion at Indian athletes, though experts in the country are not very clear about how it could have happened.
BCCI is set to seek an update from the National Anti-Doping Agency about its choice of laboratory for testing samples after the WADA suspended the National Dope Testing Laboratory's (NDTL) accreditation for six months.
India's cricket board would continue seeking an amendment to the World Anti-Doping Agency's whereabouts clause despite its own government backing the rule, president Shashank Manohar said on Monday.
Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav has been banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) following an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Board of Control for Cricket India's Committee of Administrators will meet in Mumbai on November 3 to chalk out a plan to deal with mounting pressure from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which wants Indian cricketers under its ambit.
Why didn't the BCCI CEO mention Pakistan in his letter?
Wreslter Narsingh Yadav's chances of participating in the Rio Games have been boosted after the United World Wrestling, gave him a clean chit.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Star India wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt will have to wait to know whether his bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics is upgraded to silver till the time his sample is cleared by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Reports emerged that the grappler's bronze would be upgraded to silver after second-place finisher of the London Games -- late Besik Kudukhov of Russia -- was stripped off his medal for failing a dope test.
'It is great news (cricket in Olympics) if you are a business-person. America has a large section of Asian expats, who are crazy about cricket and they will fill the stadium and of course will follow the game on TV or streaming apps.'
Continuing to back dope-tainted wrestler Narsingh Yadav, a top Wrestling Federation of India official on Friday claimed the 74-kg freestyle wrestler would have clinched the silver medal had he taken part in the Rio Olympics instead of being banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The National Anti Doping Agency reckons that Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty's reach is far more than Indian sportspersons.
'WADA had never intervened in Narsingh's matter and no clearance is required.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Wrestling Federation of India, on Friday, conceded that it was not being able to convince the Court of Arbitration for Sports' panel that grappler Narsingh Yadav was a victim of conspiracy and sabotage, and that was why he lost the case and was ejected from the Rio Olympics with a four-year ban.
The International Weightlifting Federation on Wednesday cleared the deck for Indian lifters' participation at the South Asian Games after the national body paid $50,000 as first installment of the $500,000 fine imposed on it by the IWF.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Athens Olympics silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore says instead of clashing with WADA on the 'whereabouts' clause, the ICC and BCCI should formulate a dope testing norm that is better suited to the sport and ensure regular testing to keep the sport free of dope-criminals.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Sports Minister Vijay Goel has hinted that Narsingh Yadav's prospects of participating in the Rio Olympics is virtually over, but said the wrestler will be given a fair chance to defend himself.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
At loggerheads with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on the testing of Indian cricketers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, discussed the matter with Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
The National Anti-Doping Agency must exercise utmost caution while collecting samples from cricketers as big reputations will be at stake, sports lawyer Parth Goswami said after the BCCI came under the NADA's purview.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, on Monday, said bringing the BCCI under the ambit of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is one of his biggest achievements since assuming his new office three months ago.
Dope-tainted Narsingh Yadav admitted that his career would be over if the four-year ban imposed on him by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) is not reviewed and said that the country should take up his case as India lost out on an Olympic medal in wrestling.
The world braced up to a post-Bolt era but for India there was no momentous change as the country's athletes did nothing for the global audience to take note of.
