Olympic boxer uses drug detection equipment to clear up heroin controversy
An Olympic bronze medallist in boxing has been told to use drug testing equipment to prove or disprove claims he consumed heroin.
Drug detection equipment is becoming more commonly used in the workplace to ensure employees are not putting themselves or others at risk, but anti-doping measures have been used in sport for years and continue to catch out rogue athletes to this day.
One recent high-profile example of how drug testing equipment was used in sport can be seen in the case of Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh.
The Indian boxer is currently awaiting the results of blood and urine tests which are aimed at clearing up uncertainty over allegations he consumed heroin.
According to the Daily Mail, the fighter and his boxer friend and roommate Ram Singh have been linked to an international drug ring due to their association with a man found to have 26kg of the drug in Zirakpur.
Due to Vijender Singh's involvement with the national team and the government having invested heavily in his training, Indian minister of state for you affairs Jitendra Singh has insisted that the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) steps in and collects blood and urine samples in an attempt to clear up the issue.
However, the tests themselves are controversial given that traces of heroin can disappear from blood and urine within a month.
A hair sample may have been a more effective source for testing, but this would go against NADA protocols - something the organisation is unwilling to do, sports secretary PK Deb told Mail Today.
"NADA has a few limitations and it could not go against its own and the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) protocols. Under the WADA or NADA code, there are no substances that need to be detected through hair sample or skin tests," he said.
Even if found guilty, the boxer may not face sporting sanctions as heroin use is only punishable during competition.
As well as boxing, middleweight Vijender Singh is also a policeman. He won his Olympic bronze medal in 2008 after losing to Emilio Correa in the semi-finals.
