Pooja Atmaram, a 29-year-old distance runner, has accepted a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit after evading a test at the end of the IndianOil WNC Navy Half Marathon in Mumbai on November 23 last year. She had finished the 21km course in 1:20:33, 5 seconds in first place, ahead of Ravina Gayakwad.
Pooja Atmaram could have been banned for four years but she received a one-year reduction in the period of ineligibility based on early admission and acceptance of sanction. Her case bears curious similarity with that of Varsha Tekam from the Bajaj Allianz Pune Half Marathon held in December 2024.
A few weeks ago when AIU announced Pooja Atmaram’s provisional sanction, it was mistakenly believed that it was a high jumper bearing the same first name who was guilty of evasion (many media outlets are still carrying the photograph of the younger middle-distance runner). It is likely that Pooja Atmaram is employed by Police in a north Indian State.
The agreement, posted on AIU website, reveals that Pooja was notified that she had been selected for testing by a Doping Control Officer and a Lead Doping Control Officer. She did not sign the Doping Control Form upon being notified but said she would sign the form on reaching the Doping Control Station.
However, a visibly nervous Pooja gave the accompanying chaperone the slip on the way to the Doping Control Station and disappeared into the crowd. The chaperone is said to have run after Pooja but lost sight of the athlete in the crowd. Attempts by the Lead Doping Control Officer and the Race Director to reach her by phone were of no avail.
More than two months after the evasion – and after follow-up investigations, AIU issued the athlete a notice of allegation and imposed a provisional suspension on February 3 this year. A mere six days later, the athlete wrote to AIU apologising and regretting her refusal to submit to testing. And, on February 19, she sent an admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
Curiously, a year earlier, the IndianOil WNC Navy Half Marathon saw the winners of the men and women’s races, Rameshwar Munjal and Madhuri Kale losing their top places to doping rule violations. Rameshwar Munjal tested positive for Darbepoietin and Erythropoietin while Madhuri Kale’s sample showed up Mephentermine.
Of the 141 Indians listed on the AIU website as currently serving sanctions, there are 47 distance runners, including 26 men and 21 women. That is one distance runner among every three Indian track and field sportspersons banned. Seven of these are from half marathon or marathon events while 15 are from cross country competitions.
The IndianOil WNC Navy Half Marathon in Mumbai offered Rs 1 lakh as prize money for the winners of the men and women’s Aircraft Carrier Half Marathon races. Many believe that the rise in prize money is a greater attraction for many elite distance runners that aiming to represent the country in top-notch competitions.
It is estimated that nearly 1000 timed road races are held in India each year and only a handful of them are recognised by the Athletics Federation of India. One report indicated that as much as Rs 359.08 crore was spent on sponsorship on distance running events in 2024. That is 23.5 per cent of the estimated Rs 1528 crore sponsorship on non-Cricket ‘Emerging Sports’.
