The Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) had conducted tests into 120 athletes across a wide spectrum of sports during this year at a cost of Rs. 10 million, while only three of those tests had returned positive results, stated its Director General (DG) Dr. Shiromi Pilapitiya.

According to her, SLADA officials had subjected athletes in sports such as athletics, cricket, weightlifting, swimming, bodybuilding and netball to random urine and blood tests to determine cases of doping violations.

The penalties imposed on those found guilty of violating the SLADA guidelines as per WADA recommendations, include bans from competitions, interactions with fellow athletes during the entire period the bans last, training and all related activities, etc.

Dr. Pilapitiya stated that so far in this year, three athletes have been found to have transgressed when it comes to use of prohibited substances in competitions, and they were from athletics, bodybuilding and weightlifting arenas.

She noted that already a probe was continuing regarding another bodybuilder and stressed that they have already sought his views for his actions and insisted that the punishment to be meted out will hinge on it.

As per data collated by SLADA, three athletes had been found guilty of doping offences last year, while four had suffered a similar fate the year before.

The SLADA DG added that compared to the past two years, this year, the use of prohibited substances in mainstream sports by athletes had shown a marked decline.

She attributed it to the effective awareness programmes organised by SLADA at school and university levels, as well as similar projects carried out by them via various sports associations and federations.