ICC backs BCCI's private anti-doping policy: Report

The situation may lead to a BCCI vs Sports Ministry faceoff, and it remains to be seen if the Indian cricket board remains adamant on not adhering to the ministry's diktat asking NADA to dope-test cricketers.

Logo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry may have allowed the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to collect urine and blood samples of Indian cricketers during tournaments in the country, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) is okay with the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) anti-doping measures, which are undertaken with the help of a private agency - the Hindustan Times has reported.

The ICC is a signatory of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) since July 2006, but the BCCI has stayed away from its accredited Indian arm, NADA.

“The BCCI’s anti-doping policy is based on the ICC template code,” the apex body controlling world cricket told the newspaper.

According to the report, the ICC refused having received any letter from WADA or NADA raising doubts over BCCI’s anti-doping measures.

“It is mandatory for the BCCI to adopt the ICC template code for national federations, which itself is based on the ICC’s WADA-compliant Code,” the ICC said.

The anti-doping code of the ICC makes it necessary to conduct "out-of-competition testing" and an advance notice is sent out to the player to be tested, which makes it mandatory for the players to provide some information about their whereabouts when they are out of competition.

This “whereabouts” clause, in particular, doesn't go down well with the Indian players.

But the present situation may lead to a BCCI vs Sports Ministry faceoff, and it remains to be seen if the Indian cricket board remains adamant on not adhering to the ministry's diktat asking NADA to dope-test cricketers.