Athletics Federation of India today revealed that nearly 50 athletes are skipping national training camps for the Commonwealth Games due to fear of being caught for using banned substances.In a candid admission at the Annual General Body Meeting here, which was thrown open to the media, AFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said they may form a committee to look into the issue. "We have sanctioned around 200 athletes for the CWG 2010 but around 50 have not turned up to the camp due to fear of being caught for using banned substances as we conduct dope test frequently."They want to train outside the camp away from the limelight. We have to come up with a committee, this is a serious issue," he said on the first day of the two-day AGM."Andhra Pradesh leads in this field of producing over-age and dope athletes. We have to suspend state associations that are not strict on doping," he added.Bhanot has also asked chief coach Bahadur Singh to leave out the non-performing athletes. However, Bhanot said athletes training outside the camp would still have a chance to appear in the final trails."We have decided to conduct an open trial to be competed by all athletes, campers and non-campers. But the important thing is what we would do if those who train outside camp (whose doping pedigree is not known) beat the campers?," asked Bhanot, who is also the secretary general of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. Bhanot also asked Bahadur Singh to ask non-performing athletes and those not joining the camp to drop from the camp. "Don't go by the names and past performance. If an athlete is not joining the camp due to injuries or intentionally, drop them."There are genuine cases also like some athletes are busy with studies or having old parents. Otherwise we have to drop the athletes not joining camps and not performing up to the mark. We can't show mercy on them," Bhanot said."We have to be serious on this because we are aiming to win around 10 medals in the Commonwealth Games," he added. Bahadur came up with names of athletes who have the possibility of winning medals in the CWG but expressed doubt about some of them."(Heptathlete) Sushmita Singha Chowdhury trained in London spending Rs20 lakh from the federation but she is not coming up with good performances. She should not have been sent to World Championships in Berlin (in August 2009)."Joseph Abraham (400m Hurdles) was disqualified in two events (in Berlin World Championships and Asian Championships in Guangzhou in China). He should have been disqualified in one national event also. If he does not improve he will have to be dropped from the national camp for the CWG," said Bhanot.About woman discus thrower Seema Antil, Bhanot said she was a world class athletes and a medal prospect in the CWG but not performing now due to injuries.  

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