Cleared of Doping Charges, K. Sanjita Chanu to receive Arjuna Award

Secretary of Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) has informed on 25^th June 2020 that K. Sanjita Chanu will receive the Arjuna Award for 2018. The two time Commonwealth Games Gold medalist was cleared of doping charges earlier this month by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). The Secretary of IWF has also informed that the Sports Ministry has confirmed that K. Sanjita Chanu will be awarded Arjuna Award for 2018.

Doping Charges and Non-Conformities by USADA Laboratory

In May 2020, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had suspended the accreditation of the laboratory of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was the sample of the Indian weightlifter was tested positive for testosterone (a banded anabolic steroid) back in  November 2017 prior to the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, United States. Following this, Sanjita Chanu was provisionally suspended on 15^th May 2018.

WADA suspended the accreditation of the laboratory citing certain ‘non-conformities’ in handling the test samples of the Indian weightlifter by the USADA laboratory during analysis. This was informed to IWLF by WADA on 28^th May 2020 after which in June 2020 Sanjita Chanu was cleared of all doping charges by IWF.

Sanjita Chanu

Born in Kakching district of Manipur, 26-year-old Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu has won Gold Medal in Commonwealth Games twice in 2014 (48 Kg category) and in 2018 (53 Kg category).

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2020