Athletes bolt at the sight of doping officer

The final day of the Delhi State Athletics Championship descended into chaos during the week when officials from India's anti-doping agency (NADA) arrived at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. They were responding to a video which had gone viral 24 hours earlier.

It showed a bathroom inside the stadium covered with syringes and packets of performance-enhancing drug Erythropoietin (EPO). As news of their unannounced visit spread, roughly 50% of the competitors pulled out so they couldn't be tested.

Seven of the eight sprinters who had qualified for the 100m showdown withdrew complaining of cramps and muscle strains - leaving just Lalit Kumar at the starting blocks.

“I was really looking forward to running against the best athletes, but nobody turned up,” he bemoaned to the Indian Express. “Everyone was scared of getting tested. As an athlete, I feel very hurt and let down.”

If that wasn't bad enough, the outlet also reported that a girl in the junior steeplechase kept running after crossing the finish line, forcing a doping control officer to chase her in order to get a sample.