Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar, May 13: The root of the evil lies in the system itself and Orissa weightlifter Pramila Kirsani is the perfect example of how without proper knowledge a sportspersons life can be ruined. With no proper system in place in any of the state sports associations to impart knowledge about the menace of doping, more and more Orissa sportspersons are falling foul to this prey. Pramila is one of the latest in the list.
She is now facing an extended ban after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug during the October 11-16, 2015 Commonwealth Championships in Pune. But she vehemently denies that she had ever resorted to such foul means and instead hints at conspiracy against her.
“I have never taken any performance-enhancing drugs,” Kirsani told Orissa Post, Friday. This incidentally was the first time she had agreed to talk on the issue after going silent since the reports had first surfaced.
“I had cleared the NADA tests October 9, 2015 in Bhubaneswar in which my blood and urine samples were taken. But I was shocked when I came to know that I had tested positive on the day of the competition, October 12.
“Usually, performance-enhancing drugs take some time to give results. It doesn’t work instantly and it’s pretty foolish to think that a competitor will take it during the day of the event. Had I taken it, I would have done so much earlier. Then I would have tested positive October 9 itself as the drug remains in the body for six months,” she informed.
“I have no idea even about how a performance-enhancing drug looks like. I am sure that some of my ‘well wishers’ must have mixed the drug in my water or juice during our stay at the Nehru Stadium in Pune,” she asserted.
Pramila informed about her plight to the secretary of Orissa Weightlifting Federation (OWF), Narayan Sahu. He expressed shock and sympathy over the development, but since then hasn’t done anything to clear the lifter’s name.
Life since then has changed for the lifter. Today instead of pursuing her dreams in weightlifting, she is back to her books and computer training with the hope of landing a small job. “I come from a poor family. Without any backing from the state government or the OWF, I don’t know where I stand,” lamented the Koraput girl.
“Today it is better if I look for a job to support my family. That is important now. I have no idea about my ban period also. Without any support from any quarters, I have been left to fend for myself,” added a disgusted Pramila.
