Did Hima Das participate in athletic meets while serving a doping ban?

On Wednesday, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) handed a proverbial Christmas gift to Himas Das when it revealed that the athlete was suspended for a ‘whereabouts’ failure for a 16-month period, which was in effect from the 22nd of July 2023.

The update from NADA has not only created enormous confusion but also raised eyebrows.

According to the latest update from the doping agency, Hima Das received a 'retrospective suspension' from July 22, 2023, to November 21, 2024, for three whereabouts failures.

NADA recently announced that its anti-doping panel suspended her for failing to provide her whereabouts. According to the NADA website, she was handed the suspension under a case resolution agreement.

The timeline

Owing to the extremely confusing and chaotic nature of the Hima Das-matter, the timeline holds significance.

Here's how it unfolded:

• September 2023: Hima Das was handed provisional suspension by NADA for three whereabouts failures
• April 2024: Hima Das was cleared by NADA for participation in events and she went on to feature in the Indian Grand Prix 1 at Bengaluru
• June 2024: Hima Das participates in the Inter-State National Athletics Championships in Panchkula, Haryana
• October 2024: Hima Das gets clean chit from the NADA's Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) in the whereabouts failure case
• December 2024: NADA hands a retrospective suspension of 16 months to Hima Das from July 2023 to November 2024.
  

Did Hima Das participate under suspension?

The biggest question that arises after NADA's latest update is whether Hima Das participated in the Indian Grand Prix 1 and Inter-State National Championships under suspension.

As per the latest update from NADA, the answer to that questions is yes, as both the Indian Grand Prix 1 and Inter-State Nationals fall under the 16-month suspension period between July 2023 and November 2024.

A Delhi-based athletics coach on the condition of anonymity told The Bridge, "The lack of communication and clarity from NADA is appalling at times. Nobody knows what happened and how she was allowed to participate if she was suspended all the time."

AFI officials and Hima Das refused to comment on the situation when The Bridge reached out to them.

After receiving clearance from NADA in March this year, Hima appeared in multiple meets in the subsequent months, four in particular in June.

However, no details were provided by the agency on how the panels (Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel and the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel) arrived at a conclusion that there was no 'whereabouts' failure on her part.

Interestingly, NADA has termed the latest update as a 'Case Resolution Agreement' which is an 'agreement' between the anti-doping agency and the athlete when both parties consent, and the athlete agrees to accept the consequences imposed without pursuing further appeals.

With no clarity and details on what exactly happened in the case, it is evident that it was a failure to follow due process that enabled Hima to compete whilst serving a 16-month ban at the same time.

A whereabouts failure is a serious offense and invites suspension but the handling of Hima's matter and the murky 'retrospective suspension' raises more questions than answers over the functioning of NADA.