As it seemed today, Antil’s case is unlikely to lie low or die out. WADA media relations manager Frederic Donze, who is also one of the observers here at the Asian Games, said they had picked up ‘‘the press report’’ and were following it up.

A WADA follow-up does not mean any interference in the internal process of the issue, but Donze made it clear that the watchdog body now has more teeth to deal with such issues ‘‘after the WADA Code came into effect in January 2004.’’

What happens if the Athletics Federation of India fails to report this case to the WADA or to IAAF, the world body? Earlier, the WADA would have been mute observers without any ability to override the national body’s intransigence or take any action on its own. ‘‘Now WADA has the right to appeal,’’ Donze told The Indian Express.

While the WADA will go ahead and liaise with the AFI and IAAF on this (for Antil, it will be the second case, being exonerated on technical grounds in the first instance, hence all is on record), Donze said ‘‘we can also appeal.’’ This appeal could be at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where three arbiters can be chosen from the ‘‘hundreds of expert lawyers around’’ and the process of arbitration is carried on. If the WADA is not satisfied with the way the Antil case is dealt with, it can pull all interested parties to court and make sure that necessary sanctions are put in place.

Incidentally, though it is WADA’s job to collect samples — the proper testing is done at accredited laboratories around the world — it actually outsources that job through ‘‘regional agencies’’ or, in one case, to even a private agency which is the IDTM of Sweden.

“The IDTM has had a perfect track record and is extremely reliable,” said Donze. Regional agencies in this part of the world are in Kuwait, Tehran and Bangkok.

On athletes disappearing from training camps just before the arrival of WADA-assigned collectors, Donze said: “We have no reason to believe that there are leaks in the information, because all such collection drives are surprise activities. But the fact that athletes somewhere, somehow go missing, is an issue that is worrying.”

According to IAAF rules, if an athlete misses testing thrice in 18 months he or she is set up for sanction. That is an automatic process and an athlete may run once, or twice, but not the third time. As per international regulations, certain athletes are bound to inform WADA and the international body of his or her whereabouts all the year. Hence when surprise checks are held, the collectors know exactly where to go. This information, of course, has on a regular basis, been leaked to the athletes, who suddenly leave camps for very personal reasons, like ailments at home.

Donze said he was happy that the cricket fraternity too had come up with the Code acceptance but was “amazed” at the speed with which sanctions were made by the Pakistan Cricket Board. But he wasn’t pleased with the idea of a screening procedure before a tournament. “Look, if you are putting your athletes through a dope test before a meet, it’s fine with us. But if it’s a screening, in which doubtful cases are swept under the carpet, it’s not okay,” he said.