"Yet To Open Our Eyes To Doping In The Country": PT Usha In Rajya Sabha

Legendary athlete PT Usha on Wednesday batted for bringing all competitions under National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and sought more focus on the field of sports medicine and science to help players recover from injuries. In her maiden speech in Rajya Sabha, Usha, who was participating in the discussion on the National Anti-Doping Bill, said the country ranks third in the number of individuals who tested positive for steroids and were punished for doping.

"We are yet to open our eyes to the doping in our country which was earlier confined only to the senior national level but has now reached the junior, college and district levels. It is a serious concern which needs to be addressed," she noted.

Usha, who was nominated to the Upper House last month, said sports medicine and sports science need more focus in the country.

The leading sporting nations had adequate support in the sports medicine system which was lacking in India, she said.

"The new generation sportspersons are now getting better coaches, diets and resting facilities but there is one department which needs more focus and that will be the field of sports medicine and sports science," Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha said.

She noted that injuries were an inseparable part of sports and the department of sports science and medicine has an important role to play in helping recover from injuries.

"Unfortunately in our country, this branch is still in the infancy stage. We need to have immediate and special attention to this sector," Usha said.

"This is the time to become self-reliant and I strongly suggest all this should come under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative, she added.

Speaking about doping, she said the alarming situation could be controlled to some