U-15 wrestler flunks dope test: NADA

An under-15 wrestler has tested positive for a banned substance in a national competition, according to the country's anti-doping watchdog NADA.

The National Anti-Doping Agency, in its latest list for the month of August, did not furnish the name of the wrestler as well as gender as he or she is a minor though it mentioned U-15 National Wrestling Competition as the event of sample collection.

The minor wrestler's provisional suspension begins from August 29.

The latest dope flunk of a minor comes just seven months after 16-year-old tennis player Aryaan Bhatia returned positive for a banned substance (prednisone). He was later let off with a reprimand in June by the NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

In perhaps the first dope positive result from a state athletics meet, the NADA said four track and fields athletes were caught for doping in Maharashtra.

Kirti Kumar Benake (shotput), Rahul Air (shotput) and Jaykumar Gavade (100m) were handed provisional suspensions after their dope samples collected in the 69th Maharashtra State Senior Championships tested positive.

As many as 13 bodybuilders also returned positive and they have been handed provisional suspension, mostly from the sample collected during the 67th All India Police Wrestling Cluster Championship.

The NADA said 371 dope tests, including 8 blood tests, were carried out in August but most of them fell after the suspension of National Dope Testing Laboratory on August 23.