New Delhi: A day after Indian athletic's Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogrodnik was sacked by Sports Minister Ajay Maken who held him responsible for the dope flunk of six athletes, the National Institute of Sports has served the coach notice and asked not to leave India till investigations in the doping scandal are complete.
The director of the NIS in Patiala told CNN-IBN that coach Yuri was still in Patiala but not in the institute and confirmed that a notice had indeed been served.
On Tuesday, the sacked Ukrainian coach had defended himself, saying that he has no role in the doping scandal that hit Indian athletics, and he had given only medals to the country and not steroids to the athletes.
"I told the athletes to buy only the food supplements and not steroids. I am not suited for that (to tell athletes to do a wrong thing). I am a professional coach," he said.
"I am not a fool to tell athletes to buy and consume something which is in the WADA list. I have given only medals and not steroids," said Yuri, who has been in charge of the women's 400m, 400m Hurdles and 4x400m relay since 1999.
On Wednesday, the coach reiterated his desire to leave the country. Speaking to the electronic media in Patiala, he said: "If I remain here then I will die, so I am leaving. I do not want to die in India. I want to die in my own country," said Ogorodnik, while talking to electronic media here Wednesday.
"I am not eating and sleeping well for the last few days. There is a lot of tension and I cannot work like this. I have not liked the way in which things have developed in the past. This is a big mistake, I have never given any anabolic steroid to any athlete," he added.
"The athletes have passed many dope tests in the past. I do not know what is going on right now. They have taken only food supplements and that could be contaminated," pointed out Ogorodnik.
Ogorodnik said that he would fly to his home country without meeting any Indian sports officials.
"I have a very bad experience in India, I must have gone back long time back. I am flying out directly. I would not meet any of the sports ministry official for any kind of formality."
(With agency inputs)
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