05 August,2015 08:07 AM IST | | PTI
The sensational media reports of widespread blood doping in world athletics has also pointed the finger of suspicion at Indian athletes
New Delhi: The sensational media reports of widespread blood doping in world athletics has also pointed the finger of suspicion at Indian athletes.
The reports claimed that leaked results from 12,000 blood tests on 5,000 athletes by IAAF showed the wide extent of cheating in the sport. The results came from an IAAF database leaked to German TV channel ARD and reported by Britain's Sunday Times newspaper.
The Sunday Times report cited India among countries under suspicion of blood doping, saying that five per cent of the 12,000 blood samples which returned "abnormal blood tests" were from Indians.
One Indian expert said that blood doping in India could be possible as erythropoietin (EPO) is available in India and athletes might have used it, if at all the reports are to be true.
"I don't know whether these reports about Indian athletes are true, but you can't rule out blood doping in India as EPO is available in the market," Sports Medicine expert P S M Chandran told PTI.
"Blood doping is done in two ways: through transfusion of one's own blood or by injecting banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) which is available in India," he added.
