Ministry to decide on Maheswary Arjuna award

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New Delhi: The Sports Ministry is expected to take a decision tomorrow on the issue of whether triple jumper Renjith Maheswary would get the coveted Arjuna Award after the Athletics Federation of India had told the government that he was never punished for a dope offence.Sports Minister Jitendra Singh today had a meeting with his officials after the AFI submitted a report last night on the controversy surrounding Maheswary's Arjuna Award issue."We did not take any decision on the issue today. A decision may come tomorrow," Sports Secretary P K Deb told PTI.Hours before he was to be presented the prestigious Arjuna Award on August 31, Maheswary was told under dramatic circumstances that he will have to wait for the coveted honour till the completion of an inquiry on whether he had failed a dope test in 2008.He was, however, assured that he would get the Award if he comes clean after an inquiry by Deb. National record holder Maheswary has all along maintained that he has done nothing wrong and he deserved the Award.It is, however, learnt that the AFI has said in the report submitted to the Sports Ministry that there was a case of dope violation concerning Maheswary but the federation has no record of this nor of any punishment being handed to him."The report says that according to AFI doctors there was a case of Maheswary returning positive for a stimulant but there is no record of this nor of him being handed punishment," an AFI source told PTI.Meanwhile, Sports Medicine experts said that Maheswary should not be given any leniency in case it was established that there was a case of dope violation even if he was not punished for that.The eligibility rule (4.2) for Arjuna Awards as amended on March 15, 2010 also clearly states that "sportspersons found positive for use of drugs banned by the International Olympic Committee in any laboratory accredited by the IOC will not be eligible for Arjuna Award"