India’s Bajrang Punia
| Photo Credit: PTI
Bajrang Punia has been handed a provisional suspension for refusing to give his pattern for a dope take a look at throughout latest trials and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is livid that NADA stored it “in dark” on the event and is planning to write to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on the matter.
Bajrang was handed a provisional suspension on April 23 by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and requested to ship his reply by May 7 to keep away from additional disciplinary motion. The trials to choose the lads’s nationwide crew for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek had been held in Sonepat on March 10 and Bajrang had walked off the venue with out offering his urine pattern after dropping his bout.
Reacting to his suspension, Bajrang mentioned he by no means refused to present his pattern to NADA officers. “I want to clarify that I never refused to give my sample to NADA officials. I requested them to first answer me as to what action they took on the expired kit they brought to take my sample and then take my dope test,” he wrote on X. “My lawyer Vidush Singhania will reply to this letter,” he wrote additional.
If Bajrang fails to come out clear together with his reply, he can be out of the race for the Paris Olympic Qualification.
NADA didn’t maintain us within the loop: WFI President
Meanwhile, WFI President Sanjay Singh expressed his shock that NADA didn’t inform them concerning the suspension. “It’s really surprising that NADA did not keep us in the loop while suspending Bajrang. I had a meeting with NADA DG and other officials on April 25 and this matter was not raised in that meeting,” Sanjay instructed PTI.
“They keep communicating with us on matters such as whereabouts clause requirements, long list (for Paris Olympics) and so on. Even we had a discussion about the recent Federation Cup, where they sent officials to collect samples from the winners. But they did not let us know about this suspension of Bajrang Punia. I called NADA officials this morning and they had no answer to my query. Now, I plan to write to NADA and also inform WADA about this,” he mentioned.
It was reported that Vinesh Phogat had additionally initially refused to present her pattern after she gained the ladies’s 50kg trials in Patiala. “We were not informed by anyone whose samples were taken after trials (in Sonepat and Patiala) and what came out of those samples. Just imagine if Bajrang had come to compete in the Federation Cup. We would have allowed him because we had no clue that he had been suspended,” the WFI chief added.
Meanwhile, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, who was the top of the dissolved ad-hoc panel, instructed PTI in addition they haven’t any communication relating to the suspension of Bajrang, the Tokyo Games bronze medallist.
“I have got the mail checked. We have no such communication. We got a mail on April 18 about a warning to Bajrang but the April 23 communication is not with us. I don’t know to which email ID they sent it,” Bajwa mentioned.
The World Qualifiers in Turkey from May 9 is the final likelihood for Indian wrestlers to lock quotas for the Summer Olympics. So far, 4 Indian girls wrestlers have certified for the most important sporting occasion — Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg) and Reetika Hooda (76kg).
