According to a press release issued by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Neelam has been reinstated and is eligible to take part in the national and international competitions.

The AFI release further said: “After completing the mandatory testing as stipulated by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), Neelam is eligible to participate.”

As per IAAF anti-doping rules, any athlete coming back to competition after serving a ban needs to undergo four tests—three out-of competition and one in-competition for all substances.

In Neelam’s case, three tests have been done at the WADA-accredited lab in Penang, it is learnt.

The last test, which is for a complete range of banned substances, is supposed to be done in the coming domestic circuit commencing from the third week of February.

The Busan Asian Games gold-medallist who had shifted her base to Edmonton (Canada) from Punjab, had recently returned to India. Regarding her participation in the Indian circuit, AFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said that she had expressed her desire to compete again. “She is expected to take part in the upcoming national competition in February,” he said.

However, the AFI couldn’t confirm whether Neelam has any plans for the Beijing Games.

The AFI secretary said: “I can’t say anything at the moment.”

Before the ban, Neelam had dominated the national scene and was the winner in almost all the national competitions she participated.

Apart from winning gold in Busan, where she also set a new national record of 64.55m, her other notable achievements included winning silver in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

She had also won bronze in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

At the 2003 world championships in Paris, Neelam had progressed to the finals. It was in this championships that Indian’s ace long jumper Anju Bobby George had won bronze.

Two years later in Helsinki, however, Neelam failed to enter the final round.

In 2005, Neelam, ranked 26th in the world, became the first Indian to test positive in a global competition.

As per IAAF rules, she has been provisionally suspended, pending a hearing before the disciplinary tribunal of the AFI.

The sanction for a first-time violation for pemoline is a minimum of two-year ban. The AFI disciplinary panel had dragged the case for long before it exonerated her.

The matter went to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), which ruled against the Indian athlete.