NEW DELHI: Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia, one of the leaders of athlete protests against the federation chief last year, faces provisional suspension by the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA) for alleged evasion of a drug test.
Punia, who clinched a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, faces a two-year ban for refusing to provide a urine sample during a recent selection trial.
In response to the development, NADA issued a statement indicating Punia’s immediate provisional suspension from all competitions pending a final decision following a hearing.
While the NADA document is dated April 23, its revelation came to light over the weekend. Indian media reports suggest that Punia had previously received warnings from NADA for failing to disclose his whereabouts and had been cautioned last month.
Punia took to social media to refute the allegations, stating that he never declined to provide a sample to NADA officials. He claimed to have requested clarification regarding the handling of expired testing kits brought for his sample collection.
Punia had been an active participant in a protest against the former wrestling federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment allegations last year, implying a possible vendetta against him.
India’s prominence in doping cases drew attention recently, with the World Anti-Doping Agency reporting the country to have the highest number of drug violations in 2022. Despite rigorous testing efforts, India surpassed even countries like China, the USA, and Russia in doping instances.
The looming suspension comes at a critical juncture as no Indian wrestler in the 65kg class has secured qualification for the upcoming Paris Olympics scheduled for July. Punia’s setback at the national trials in March led to Sujeet Kalkal representing India at the qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan last month.
