This paragraph in the World Anti-Doping Code has made Indian cricketers to keep away from signing the Anti-Doping Agreement. This has divided the Indian sporting community into two; lone cricketers on one side and all the remaining athletes on the other side trying to mollify the cricketers’ stand on WADA. I wonder why (only Indian) cricketers alone feel this ‘whereabouts’ clause is going to infringe upon their privacy when all the tennis stars and players of the world’s most followed game, Football is completely WADA compliant. Earlier FIFA and UEFA tried to dilute the whereabouts clause but in vain. Indian Cricketers are surely a different league of sportsmen. They are demi-gods (at least when we win). Top cricket players have a Z plus security cover, equivalent to top politicians of our country. They are one among the groups of people in India who’ll be mobbed when they walk on the streets. When compared to that of footballers, they are nowhere near. When Yuvraj represented India in Euro 2008 and awarded the man of the match to Swiss player Hakan Yakin, people called it only an honour for him to be spotted at Euro 2008 and not for the awardee. No wonder why he was seen sporting a headphone while receiving the award.
India is a country where Olympic culture is ignorant. It has a very poor Olympic record of just 17 medals in last 88 years. Countries like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and England and even Caribbean islands have a strong culture of Olympic sports and find it natural to adhere to international sporting norms. This national ignorance has made the Indian cricketers feel odd about these anti-doping rules. I think it’s better for Indian players to abide by the global rules to avoid isolation by the sporting community.