BCCI Agrees to Come Under Ambit of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), Dope Test of Cricketers to be Conducted Like Other Athletes: Sports Secretary Radheshyam Jhulaniya

The BCCI had been vehemently opposed to signing up with NADA, claiming that it is an autonomous body, not a National Sports Federation and does not rely on government funding.

After being lashed out by Union Sports Ministry for not following the protocol while conducting dope tests for Indian cricketers, the world’s richest cricket board – BCCI has finally agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on Friday. For long, BCCI has successfully avoided NADA’s techniques to test its own cricketers as the board was not very impressed with the efficiencies of the National Anti-Doping Agency.

But after years of persuasion, Sports Secretary Radheshyam Jhulaniya convinced BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in a meeting to join hands with NADA on Friday. The board has given in writing that it would adhere to the anti-doping policy of NADA. BCCI has recently drawn massive flak after the suspension of next-gen star Prithvi Shaw, who was recently suspended till November 15 after his urine sample tested positive for the substance Terbutaline. A BCCI press release said Shaw had “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.”

“All cricketers will now be tested by NADA,” Jhulaniya told PTI.

“The BCCI raised three issues before us about the quality of the dope testing kits, competence of pathologists and sample collection.

“We assured them that whatever facilities they want, we will provide but there will be some charge for it. BCCI is no different from others,” he added.

The BCCI had been vehemently opposed to signing up with NADA, claiming that it is an autonomous body, not a National Sports Federation and does not rely on government funding.

However, the sports ministry has also been steadfast in maintaining that it had to come under the NADA ambit.

it recently held back clearances for the tours by South Africa A and women’s teams and it was speculated that this was done to pressurise BCCI into accepting anti-doping norms.