- SLADA slaps temporary suspension
- Athlete to seek ‘B’ sample test
Sprinter Nishendra Harshani Fernando who excels in the 400m event has been imposed with a temporary suspension from all competitions both locally and overseas by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLDA) after testing positive for the banned substance anabolic steroids.
This was confirmed to The Daily Morning Sports, by the SLADA Director General (DG) Dr. Shiromi Pilapitiya.
She stated that the SLADA had slapped the temporary suspension on the athlete pending a disciplinary inquiry, after her urine samples had returned a positive result for the said substance.
This was after Nishendra Harshani had gained first place at the National Athletic Selection Trials held at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium at Diyagama recently.
According to the SLADA DG, its officials had carried out the urine sample tests of Nishendra Harshani at a laboratory in New Delhi where a positive result had been returned forcing the former to impose the sanction on the latter forthwith.
However, sources close to the sprinter concerned stated that she has denied all charges directed at her of using anabolic steroids either knowingly or unknowingly.
It is said that Nishendra Harshani for her part has requested the SLADA officials to recheck her ‘B’ urine sample which is a recourse afforded to athletes who test positive for prohibited substances as per World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules and regulations.
The rules and regulations thus allows athletes to seek a ‘B’ urine sample test when a positive result has been returned in the ‘A’ urine sample test without submitting any show cause for her actions.
However, the costs for the second urine sample test has to be taken care of by the athlete concerned.
If any athlete accepts his or her fault at the time of pressing charges, then they are liable to be punished in keeping with provisions of the Sports Law and the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) Act.
In such a background the athlete and the trainer are imposed with sanctions mostly in the form of suspensions from competitions both domestically and foreign.
The 400m sprinter also reportedly becomes the first prominent local athlete to test positive for a prohibited substance thus far in 2026.
Nishendra Harshani finished first in the 400m event returning a time of 52.87 seconds at the National Athletic Selections Trials at Diyagama while it was also her personal best time as well.
Jithma Wijethunga took second place with a time of 53.24 seconds while B. S. L. Mendis came third clocking 53.49 second at the event.
Nishendra Harshani was also part of the bronze medal-winning Sri Lankan 4x400m mixed relay team at the 26th Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea last year, having also clinched bronze in the women’s 4x400m relay at the same event.
In regional competitions Harshani has represented her country at the first Indian Open (World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event) in Bhubaneswar in August 2025, where she was placed sixth in the women’s 400m final.
She was also a member of the SL women’s team at the Asian Relay in Bangkok in March this year further cementing her burgeoning reputation as a top 400m sprinter here as calamity struck in the form of testing positive for the aforementioned prohibited substance.