Judo players selected for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games were training on their own as there was no national camp.

Promising judo player Arun Kumar was camping in France to polish his skills to excel in the men’s 73 kg category at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games that got underway on Thursday in Scotland. Instead of boarding a flight to Scotland he returned back home Thursday. Reason: Out of competition dope test conducted by NADA (National Anti Doping Agency) a couple of days back in Bellary, Karnataka returned positive for performance enhancing drugs. He has been provisionally suspended, according to an official of Judo Federation of India (JFI).

Kumar’s first offence for steroids, if proved guilty, will keep him off the mat for four years. Kumar has been pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and the Judo Federation of India can’t replace him with another player at the eleventh hour. “It is sad that our athletes are adopting wrong means to improve performance. Such incidents are a big loss to sport and spoil the reputation of the country,” says a senior coach familiar with the development.

Kumar was supported by a private sponsor and was training with a group of judo players in Paris ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Kumar’s case highlights that there is no dearth of financial assistance for top players. But his doping case also emphasizes that players are taking a short cut route to fame. “He (Kumar) was an outstanding player and had potential to win a medal in Glasgow,” says a national judo coach. “Issue of doping ahead of major international events like the Commonwealth Games paints everyone with the same brush.”

EOM