New Delhi, Feb 9 (PTI) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday stressed upon the principles of fair play, saying integrity is must as the Paris Olympic Games are approaching fast.

Thakur, while inaugurating the ‘Road to Paris 2024: Championing Clean Sports and Uniting for Anti-Doping’ conference, emphasised on the need to create awareness among athletes regarding the ill-effects of doping.

The minister also virtually inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Nutritional Supplements Testing for Sportspersons (CoE-NSTS) at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

CoE-NSTS will test the supplements for sports persons to ensure only the best products are consumed by athletes preparing for mega events.

“When we talk about the Road to Paris, all we have to say is play safe, play clean and play fair. For that, awareness is very important. Apart from awareness, you need to have the right facilities for the athletes,” said Thakur.

CoE-NSTS, he said, was a step in creating those facilities.

“CoE-NSTS will do research on nutritional supplements and sports persons can get more information on the nutrients. It is very important for Road to Paris 2024 that we create awareness among athletes with regard to anti-doping activities and keep them away from doping.

“Till now, there was no facility for testing nutritional supplements. Now we have it in place. So, if there are contaminated supplements in gyms, power enhancers, they too can be checked through this now. Athletes can also get good quality supplements to improve their performance,” he added.

The minister said that the establishment of CoE-NSTS “aligns with the ministry’s goal to develop nutritional supplement testing facilities in India” Praising the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), Thakur said, “NADA’s efforts in promoting clean sport and anti-doping measures have played a crucial role in educating athletes, conducting tests, and enforcing anti-doping rules and policies.”

Source: PTI News