New Delhi: Weightlifter Pratima Kumari, who tested positive for a banned drug in the Olympic Games at Athens, today (Aug 20, 2004) alleged that she was administered spinal injections under the supervision of two national coaches during her training stint in Belarus in June-July.

Threatening to expose all those who were trying to "malign" her through a "deep-rooted conspiracy", the 28-year-old lifter, squarely blamed national coaches Pal Singh Sandhu and Belarus-born Leonid Taranenko for her plight.

"It was a pre-planned affair designed by my coaches Pal Singh Sandhu and Taranenko. During a training session at Belarus, I complained of back-ache. The duo took me to a doctor who administered me 20 to 25 injections," Pratima told PTI adding that she planned to meet Sports Minister Sunil Dutt to present her side of the story.

Pratima, who tested positive for anabolic steroid testosterone in the test conducted on August 12, a day before the Games opened, claimed she was innocent and had never taken any performance-enhancing drug in her entire sporting career.

"I know which drugs are banned and I even check several times before taking tablets for cold or headache. But in this case, I could not read the prescription written in Russian script," said Pratima.

She alleged that after the injections were administered on her, the pain aggravated and she developed allergy all over the body.

"I will seek an appointment with the Sports Minister Sunil Dutt to narrate my side of the story. I want to narrate the entire sequence to him," a sobbing Pratima said.

Pratima, who was forced to pull out of her event in 63 kg weight category on Tuesday, quietly slipped to her residence at Dwarka in New Delhi after she was sent home on August 16.

She said that she was asked to leave the Olympic village immediately and two officials saw her off at the airport.

Pratima's father Prem Chandra Prasad Gupta also blamed the coaches for bringing disgrace to his daughter.

"Why was the injection administered in the spinal cord instead of her arms? The coaches are responsible for the early exit of my daughter from the Games," Gupta told PTI over phone from Bokaro.

Stating that Pratima was in peak form during her training session in Belarus, he also wondered why Sydney Olympics Bronze winner Karnam Malleswari was asked to line up in the 63 kg instead of her original 69 kg category.

"Pratima lifted heavier weights then Karnam Malleswari during the training sessions. But it is surprising why the coaches switched Malleswari from 69 kg to 63 kg," he said.

"I am totally disappointed by the way the coaches managed my daughter," he added.