New Delhi: Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Sunday said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should have trusted the National Anti-Doping Agency, just like every other sports body in the country did.
Rathore was responding to the recent BCCI's statement that read the cricket board was not subjected to the jurisdiction of NADA and thus, "cannot conduct dope tests on Indian cricketers."
The BCCI had told NADA it was not a national sports federation, but an autonomous sports organisation, affiliated to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and was required to operate within the rules and regulations set by it.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event here, Rathore said, "When all the sports bodies of the country trust our national anti-doping agency, the cricketers can also do that."
"However, we leave it to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it is their prerogative. When ICC is a member of the world body, then they have to abide by the doping standards. It is up to WADA to ensure that they get dope tested," he added.
The Athens Olympics silver medallist further said that the dope-testing could be sorted out and the ministry had no issues with it specifically as they have many more sports to take care of.
Rathore also remarked that when doping happens, sports fans are cheated and every sports body should make sure that no cheating happens.
