In June 2023 the India National Anti-Doping Agency (INADA) reported an anti-doping rule violation against the judoka Rahul Sevta after his sample tested positive for the prohibited substances Oxandrolone and Stanozolol.
Following notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in his defence and he was heard for the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of India (ADDPI).
The Athlete denied the intentional use of the substance and requested for a reduced sanction. He could not explain how the substance had entered his system.
He alleged that the source of the prohibited substances were the supplements or food provided by the coaches at the training camp. He further claimed that the meat he consumed in the camp might have been spiked.
The Panel finds that the presence of the prohibited substances had been established in the Athlete's sample and accordingly that he had committed an anti-doping rule violation.
The Panel determines that in the camp 9 athletes had been, tested, of which 3 athletes tested positive. The Athlete himself tested positive for Oxandrolone and Stanozolol, yet the other two athletes for completely other prohibited substances.
The Panel concludes that the Athlete failed to demonstrate with evidence that the supplements and food in the camp were the source of the prohibited substances. The Panel did not accept his explanations and deems that he had used these substances intentionally.
Therefore the ADDPI decides on 21 December 2023 to impose a 4 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 20 June 2023.
