All India Council of Sports strongly emphasised – Sports & Yoga should be included in the regular curriculum from nursery level

Educate & aware the athletes – is the best tool to curb the dope menace: Prof. Malhotra

khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: In the 13^th Meeting of All India Council of Sports (AICS) held on 4^th March 2022 at 11.30 am  in the Conference Hall of AICS, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Complex in New Delhi, Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, President, AICS  strongly emphasised that sports & Yoga should be included in the curriculum and sports subject should be imparted to the child from the nursery level.

He added that Children’s talent and sports aptitude should be tested from the elementary school days itself so that the talent of a child can be improved and developed through training and education.  There should be a compulsory provision for sports & Yoga in the school budget which should be utilised for sports activity only.  AICS Member and Chairperson, Paralymic Committee of India Dr. Deepa Malik emphasised that para sports should also be included in Khelo India and para sports also be included in school syllabus.

Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra stressed the need to introduce robust mechanism to counter the dope menace.  Dope incidents not only tarnish the image of Indian sports but also tarnish the image of the country in the world of sports.

All the Members and Special Invitees have expressed unanimously that most of the dope cases occurred in India as sportspersons consume general medicine and food/health supplements available across the counter, unknowingly which contain prohibited substances.   There are many Allopathic, Ayurvedic & Sidha medicines and health supplements available in the market but there is no standardisation of items or recognized standard stores available in India where one can buy secure consumables which do not contain prohibited substances.

Prof. Malhotra said there is also a need to educate sportspersons regularly and spread awareness about the medicines and food/health supplements which contains the prohibited substances, through advertisements in newspapers, TV Channels, Social Media,  etc.

Dr. Deepa Malik and other Members suggested to include one Chapter in the text books at all levels and also to print small booklet for distribution among students of all schools/colleges including all sportspersons so as to educate them about the ill effect of doping.

She said that NADA should organise the Quiz Competitions and provide other materials being developed by WADA for implementation in India to make the masses aware of dope menace.

Shri Yogeshwar Dutt said that strict action has to be taken against private zym trainers who suggest power supplement to athletes which contains prohibited materials.

Director General, NADA Shri L. S. Singh said the NADA is working with the NDTL and FSSAI with regards to standardisation of food supplements for athletes.  NADA has set up Food Supplement Testing Labs across India.  He further said that New Anti Doping Bill is under consideration of Parliamentary Committee which has provision of penalty to those caught under doping test.   He said that NADA has taken anti doping tests and special awareness programmes for our Tokyo bound athletes and the result of it that not a single case of dope occurred in the recently concluded Olympic Games.

He further emphasised that it is the collective responsibility of NADA, SAI, IOA and Sports Federation to educate and make aware the athletes about the ill effect of doping.

Prof. Malhotra assured the House that AICS will take up the matter with Education Ministry, Sports Ministry, State Governments, IOA and all Sports Federations to curb the dope menace.

Other issues like Uniform Cash Awards to athletes including para athletes, Need to introduce Sports Science in all India Institute of Ayurveda and to develop Syllabus for the same and Medical Support to Sportspersons by Army Medical Services in remote areas were also discussed in the meeting.

Members present profusely lauded the efforts being made by All India Council of Sports under the Presidentship of Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra for taking up the issues with various stake holders viz. Setting up Sports University and specialized Sports Nurseries in every State, Identifying and sponsoring at least on Olympic Discipline by State Governments, Employment, grant of benefit of the sports Quota to athletes, Financial help to former national & International level sportspersons and Special sports infrastructure, training facilities, equipments and adequate separate budgetary allocation for para athletes.

List of Members and special invitees present in the meeting : Members: Shri Maha Singh Rao, C. Honnappa, Ms. Arunima Sinha, Ms. Sumrai Tete, Dr. Deepa Malik and Shri Yogeshwar Dutt.  Special Invitees : Shri Tarlochan Singh, ex-MP, Shri L.S. Singh, DG-NADA, Lt. Gen., Rajiv Bhalla, Gursharan Singh, Ashok Bedi, Col. Aman, Dr. (Col.), Sanjeev Kumar, Col. Amrik Singh, Shri Virendra Sachdeva, Shri Kishore Jayanta Madhav.