Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Jul 5: Follwing the recent scandal invloving athletes' failure in dope tests, sports minister Ajay Maken on Tuesday July 5 sacked India's foreign athletics coach Yuri Ogrodnik who coached three of the six tainted athletes to Commonwealth and Asian Games gold last year.

Ajay Maken blamed the officials and coaches apart from the athletes for bringing disgrace to the sporting fraternity.

Addressing the media, the minister said that all foreign coaches attached to the tainted athletes will be removed immediately. He added that strong measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not repeat in the future.

A probe into the doping scandal has been ordered under a retired high court judge. Makan said that the athletes will have to face action and penalty.

Makan added that the NADA will track the movements of drugs in and around coaching camps and coaches and doctors will hereby be under the scanner.

The country's anti-doping agency reports state that three out of the four runners in the 400m relay team namely Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose have tested positive for banned steroids on Tuesday July 5. The team had won the gold medal in last year's commonwealth games.

Director-general of NADA Rahul Bhatnagar said that Akkunji's 'A' sample showed traces of the same anabolic steroid found in those of the other athletes. The 'B' samples have also returned positive in the tests conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Two more Indian athletes - Mandeep Kaur and Juana Murmu - were suspended last week facing a prospect of a two-year ban after failing an out-of-competition dope test.

The athletes in question have protested their innocence blaming contaminated food supplements for the results.

The women's 4x400m relay team were seen as India's biggest hope of a podium finish next year in London after their performances in New Delhi last October and Guangzhou, China, the following month.

The team was due to compete in the Asian Championships in Japan which start on July 7.