NEW DELHI, Oct 19: The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has banned hockey goalkeeper Akash Chitke for two years after he tested positive for a prohibited substance earlier this year. Chitke was provisionally suspended by NADA from March 27 and the minimum sanction of two years was imposed by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) after a final hearing on October 8.
Chitke was found positive for banned anabolic steroid (Norandrosterone) during an out-of-competition test during the senior team�s hockey camp in Bengaluru on February 27. The final order was uploaded on agency�s website late on Thursday where it was mentioned that his case of dope violation was �unintentional� as he had taken medicine for an injury on his left foot.
However along with Chitke, there were six other athletes across other disciplines, who were all handed four-year suspensions for violation of anti-doping code as they could not prove how prohibited substances entered their body. � PTI