Strict dope tests measures in place during WMG in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, July 9 (UNI) The 4th World Military Games, which will be held here from October 14 to 21, will have strict dope testing measures of the athletes, organisers said.

Addressing the media on the ocassion of 100-day countdown to the Games, Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju said the organisers will put in place elaborate measures to ensure dope samples are collected from atheltes and tested according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations.

''We have elaborate and stringent mechanism to collect samples from the athletes. We will follow the IOC rules and regulations on collecting and testing samples of the athletes,'' he told journalists, including those from New Delhi invited to witness the 100-day countdown ceremony, yesterday.

Conseil International du Sports Militaire (CISM), the governing body of the Games, is recognised by the IOC and anybody found flunking the dope tests will automatically face penalties under the IOC.

Elaborating on the issue, Colonel Sanjay Khanna, media and publicity incharge of the Games, told UNI that the organisers are taking dope testing seriously and necessary measures to collect and test samples are in place.

''We will collect the urine samples of the medal winners and also take some random samples and they will be sent to WADA-accredited laboratory in Bangkok,'' he told UNI.

''The military has the necessary expertise to do this. We have qualified doctors to collect the samples and dispatch them to approved laboratories for testing,'' he added.

The 4th World Military Games, which is being held for the first time outside Europe, is being billed as the biggest multi-discipline sporting extravaganza ever staged in the country.

So far, more than 5,000 athletes and officials from 78 countries have confirmed participation. Pakistan has so far not confirmed its particiaption.

Organisers are, however, expecting that the number of participating countries will touch 100 and the number of athletes and officials will cross 6000 by the time of the August 15 deadline.

The athletes will compete in 13 disciplines of football, handball, volleyball, swimming, track and field, judo, boxing, parachuting, sailing and triathlon.

Sailing and triathlon will take place in Mumbai while the remaining 13 disciplines will be held in Hyderabad.

Hockey and kabaddi, which were earlier included as demonstration games, have been scraped due to lack of participation.

Instead, polo will be showcased in an exhibition match to be played on October 19.

The WMG, whose motto is 'Friendship through sports to bring peace', was first held in 1995 in Rome to mark the 50 years of end of World War II. Zagreb (Croatia) played host to the second edition in 1999 while 2003 Games were held in Catania in Italy.

UNI