Ousted IWF secretary to contest polls

Squadron Leader Baldev Raj Gulati, the ousted secretary-general of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), may have had to resign last month under pressure from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) over the issue of doping, but he is not giving up yet.

Gulati resigned from his post along with all other office bearers after the International Weightlifting Federation was reported to have told the IOA to get a new body in place if it hoped for any kind of reprieve after a string of doping cases.

But Gulati, who has often been blamed for the rampant doping in the country, is hoping to be again among the new set of office-bearers that will take charge after the IOA conducts elections on December 27. "I am not contesting for the post of secretary-general but for one of the other positions," Gulati told DNA, adding that he hoped India would be able to participate in next year's Commonwealth Games.

"Once the final dope test results are out and the penalty is paid (by the IWF or the IOA), the lifters will get a go-ahead for the Commonwealth Games, for which they are currently attending a camp at the Army Sports Institute in Pune," he said. "The penalty has not been announced officially. However, if found guilty we stand to lose half-a-million dollars. But the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is to be blamed for this," Gulati said.

The International Weightlifting Federation, at its executive committee meeting in South Korea last month, decided to put off the punishment for the Indian federation till the individual cases had been dealt with. Under international rules, a national body may be handed a ban of up to four years with fines, if three or more lifters test positive for banned substances during a calendar year.

If a ban of more than a year is imposed, India will have to face the ignominy of being barred from fielding its 'lifters in the October 3-14 Games. India have been banned twice in the past -- in 2004 and 2006 -- apart from escaping with a heavy fine on one other occasion.