PNGOC awaits response

THE PNG Olympic Committee is waiting on a response from the International Weightlifting Federation to determine whether Dika Toua’s 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medal can be upgraded to a gold.
Toua, who competed in the women’s 53kg division at the Gold Coast Games last April, finished behind India’s Sanjita Chanu but the gold medallist was later suspended by the IWF after failing a drug test.
The result was reminiscent of what happened at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, when Toua again finished runner-up to Nigerian Chika Amalaha. Amalaha was later stripped of the gold medal after failing a drug test.
Amalaha’s A and B samples showed traces of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, which are prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under class five of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list.
She was subsequently stripped of her title and Toua was awarded the gold medal her first gold at Commonwealth Games level. Toua had previously won a silver at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
The IWF announced on its website last May that it had taken action against Chanu: “Sanjita Chamu has returned an adverse analytical finding for testosterone (S1.1 Anabolic Agents). As a consequence, the athlete is provisionally suspended in view of a potential anti-doping rule violation. In any case where it is determined that the Athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation, the relevant decision will also be published. IWF will not make any further comments on the case until it is closed.”
According to its website (iwf.net), the IWF suspended more than 30 lifters over the course of 2018 for various anti-doping rule violations.
PNGOC secretary general Auvita Rapilla in a brief response to queries by The National said they had sent a letter to the IWF on the outcome of Chanu suspension and the possible upshot as it related to Toua.
“On behalf of PNGOC I sent an email to IWF president Tamas Ajan on November 18, 2018 querying the status of the Indian weightlifter (Sanjita Chanu),” Rapilla said.
“There has been no response to date. We will continue to follow up when we resume office on January 7, 2019.
“Like all other cases, if an athlete is stripped off their medal for (a) positive drug test, the next athlete in line moves up the rank to attain the medal.
“In the event this happens, we will liaise with the Sports Minister’s Office to consider increasing her medal incentive to commensurate her level of achievement.”
The National Government has enacted a policy since 2014 of rewarding medal winners at major international events (Commonwealth and Olympic Games) with cash incentives with gold medal winners receiving K100,000 and silver (K50,000) and bronze (K25,000) athletes also earning significant purses.
Weightlifters Steven Kari (gold) and Morea Baru (silver) were the other medal winners at the Gold Coast Games.
PNG finished 22nd with one gold and two silver at the Games but an upgrade for Toua would push the country to 19th spot 43 nations that won medals.