From the original 6 athletes who failed the anti-doping test, the number now reached to eight. Two more women track and field athletes returned positive for anabolic steroids based on the recent test of the National Anti-doping Agency.

This is considered as one of the worst doping scandal in professional sports in India. Sports officials were enraged by the high number of athletes found using performance enhancing drugs because most of them are bound for the 2012 London Olympics.

Aside from embarrassment, the country’s bid for Olympic gold in the track and field diminished because of the scandal. In fact, three women in 400m women relay, who won gold in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games last year, failed the doping test. The sports ministry is now initiating a thorough investigation on the matter to determine the culpability of the involved athletes and other sports officials.

Athletics Coach First Casualty

But even if the investigation is still on-going, the sports minister already fired the athletics coach. India’s Sport Minister Ajay Maken told the local media that they already dismissed athletics coach Yuri Ogorodonik. The majority of the women athletes caught using steroids were under his tutelage. “The positive dope tests of eight athletes brought disgrace to the sporting fraternity and the entire country,” said Maken.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) also conducted raids in the Pattiala training camp where these doping athletes were housed. According to online reports, two SAI officials handling the athletes training programme and officials of the hostel where women athletes are staying were also dismissed.

Maken stressed that coaches and sports officials should be held accountable for what happened to their athletes. “Athletes will get punished in form of suspensions, bans and losing their medals… but we can’t let the coaches and any official involved get away scot-free,” he told the media. This will also result to the implementation of stricter policies against erring coaches and officials in the future.

Ukrainian Coach Not Taking the Blame

The Ukrainian coach, who worked with the national athletics squad for more 10 years, was not happy with the decision of the sports ministry. Ogorodonik insist that he is not involved or in any way encouraged doping of his athletes. Of the 8 athletes, 6 of them were trained by the Ukrainian coach.

The sprint coach argued that food supplements purchased outside of the training camp might be the cause of positive test. He is asking why the government is not taking immediate action to test these supplements. “I told the athletes to buy only the food supplements and not steroids,” he said.

Ogorodonik also contend that as a professional coach he would not advise his athletes to take steroids. He knows that they are on WADA’s watch list. “I am not a fool to tell athletes to buy and consume something which is in the WADA list. I have given only medals and not steroids,” he added.

Vitamin Supplements Possible Source of Steroids

Those tested positive for anabolic steroids believe that the vitamin supplements could be the source of the banned substance. The food supplements were recommended by their coach but Ogorodonik denied that he knows it contain steroids. “I admit giving the athletes food supplements, which were not supplied by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), but there is no guarantee that those supplements contained banned anabolic steroids,” he said during an interview.

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