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| Saturday, 24 July 2004 |
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SMU looks for Junior Athlete foir drugs case The Sports Medicine Unit (SMU) of the Ministry of Sports is looking for the former Sri Lanka junior national pool athlete who has gone missing after the recent disclosure of a controversial drug episode. The SMU is to question a top national level coach who is alleged to have given or recommended the banned drug to the said athlete. The SMU has requested the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) to produce the alleged athlete Arjun Perera to conduct a special inquiry. However, the AASL states that they have no right to produce the athlete. Head of the SMU and Consultant Neurologist, Dr. Geethanjana Mendis said they have asked the local track and filed governing body to produce the athlete for questioning. We are aware of his whereabouts. "We have traced everything. We know where he stays. But we need not call Police to trace him because it is the duty of the AASL to produce him," he said. Dr. Mendis said the controversial athlete has been coming to the SMU Clinic but now he has stopped coming after he was traced for taking a banned substance with anabolic steroid. The athlete has come to the SMU with a sample of Nandralone to get that injected. Dr. Mendis said the athlete, when questioned after the medical staff identified it as a banned drug, has told the that the drug was given to him by a veteran coach, who assumed a top post in Sri Lanka athletics last year. Dr. Mendis said they could only question the coach after recording evidence from the athlete. "He has briefed about the coach to our staff when questioned. But he must now come before our investigation panel and tell the same so that we could call the coach concerned to record a statement," he said. However, the AASL President said it is not possible for them to trace such athletes and produce them before the SMU. He also denied that the athlete was in the Sri Lanka junior national pool, which is not functioning now. "There are many athletes training at Torrington grounds. How could we catch them and produce? We have no authority to do that. It is the Sports Medicine Unit which discovered the matter and it is up to them to conduct further investigations. To my knowledge, there was no such athlete called Arjun Perera in the junior national pool," he said. There had been high drama at the recent AASL Ex-co meeting with some members requesting to name the top Sri Lanka national level coach, who previously coached a national team of another country in an overseas training mission. (D.W.) |
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