More than half of the athletes fled the Uttar Pradesh Weightlifting Championship due to fear of a ‘dope test’. A total of 219 weightlifters withdrew from the competition at the weigh-in. There have been cases of people abandoning tournaments due to fear of dope tests. But, no such instance has come up to date in Uttar Pradesh Weightlifting Championship.
More than half of the weightlifters fled the competition after news of the NADA team’s arrival at the championships. This resulted in many weight groups in the championships not having any lifters competing, with only one or two lifters entering many weight groups.
A few days ago Ashmita Khelo India Zonal League and Uttar Pradesh Weightlifting Championship were organized in Modinagar. 519 weightlifters participated in these games. Nada was called for a dope test by the Weightlifting Association of India in the Khelo India Zonal League. At this time some girls ran away from the league.
Competitors left due to NADA Tests
The Weightlifting Association saw that lifters were leaving the competition, so they requested NADA to organize Uttar Pradesh Weightlifting as soon as the league ended. They should be tested in this championship as well. Trials are not normally held at state championships. Nada agreed to the test, but the information was not immediately shared with the weightlifter.
During the lifters’ weigh-in before the start of the championship, he learned that Nada was also going to take dope samples. A stampede took place from here. 252 male lifters participated in the championship. Out of them, 126 weightlifters dropped out of the competition. 177 girls were to play in the championship, out of which 93 girls did not participate.
