The National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (NADAP) has ordered a reduced sanction for swimmer Jyotsna Pansare, who was handed a two-year suspension by a disciplinary panel last November.
Jyotsna had tested positive for Methylhexanea-mine (MHA) during the national aquatics championships at Jaipur in August 2010.
The appeal panel’s decision means the young swimmer’s suspension will now end on November 5, 2013. The order will also have an impact on the 10 other MHA cases which have been lined up before the same panel, which also has former table tennis player Indu Puri as its member.
The athletes, including Asian Games bronze medallist Mausam Khatri, will hope to get benefit of this case during their respective hearings.
All of them were handed two-year suspensions by the Dinesh Dayal-headed disciplinary panel for use of MHA from the date of the decision of the order including forfeiture of their medals and results from the date of sample collection.
Describing the punishment awarded by the disciplinary panel as “harsh” and “disappropiate”, the NADAP also set aside the earlier order regarding the disqualification of all competitive results from the date of sample collection.
“We are of the view that the athlete should suffer a ban of one year from the date of the order of the disciplinary panel i.e from 5.11.2012 to 5.11.2013, and we also impose a sanction of reprimand with no further period of ineligibility,” read the order delivered by Justice (retd.) M.L. Varma-headed appeal panel.
The NADAP accepted the contentions made by Jyotsana’s lawyer Vidushpat Singhania’s that she had used face-packs and other cosmetic products containing geranium oil and root extract, which in turn led to the positive result.
“There is no question these being used for enhancement of performance or it was intended to enhance her performance,” the order said.