Suniel Shetty to be appointed as NADA's brand ambassador: Report

Bollywood star Suniel Shetty has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA). NADA is expected to make an official announcement about the same on Tuesday, December 10, 2019. NADA hopes that Shetty’s celebrity status in the country will help them in their efforts against fighting doping.

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NADA Director General Navin Agarwal said that Shetty will give NADA more reach than a former or a current sportsperson. “We thought that an actor of the status of Suniel Shetty will be able to send out a message to shun doping, that doping is not good for themselves and for the country. We felt that celebrities will have more outreach to the masses of the country as they have a lot of following,” Agarwal told PTI on Monday.

Recently, Satnam Singh Bhamara was suspended by NADA due to his failure to pass the anti-doping test. He is credited as the first Indian to be drafted in the NBA by Dallas Mavericks in 2015. He went on to play for two years for the Texas Legends in the Development League.

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Agarwal was also quizzed if an athlete, whether former or active, would have been the right person to be appointed as the brand ambassador. Agarwal responded saying that a former athlete would have lacked clout as compared to a film star and may not have been successful in spreading the message against doping among the athletes as well as the masses. As far as current athletes are concerned, Agarwal state that they were busy with their respective sporting commitments, hence they did not consider them. 

150 athletes have failed NADA doping tests 

This move is significant considering the fact that only eight months are left for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. There have been about 150 instances of athletes having failed the doping tests, which is a very bad sign for the sporting world. Most of these athletes comprise of bodybuilders, amounting up to one-third of the total number.

Suniel Shetty is also the Wellness Ambassador for the Maldives

The choice of Suniel Shetty by NADA seems to be the right one. The star himself is renowned to be a massive fitness enthusiast and has been associated with sports and wellness recently. He was also appointed as the Wellness Ambassador by the Government of Maldives two months ago, which makes NADA’s choice timely and appropriate. According to Indian media reports recently, the number of Indian athletes failing a drug test and being banned or suspended for the same has doubled in 2019 as compared to last year.

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WADA banned Russian athletes recently

The issue of doping is not just restricted to India. On Monday, the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) had banned Russia from participating in any sporting event due to doping charges. This means that Russian athletes would not able to participate in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and potentially the FIFA World Cup 2022 to be held in Qatar. In light of recent controversies, NADA's move is likely to have a larger impact on their campaign against doping.

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