NADA Suspends Bajrang Punia For Four Years Over Doping Violation (image-twitter/BajrangPunia)
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Bajrang Punia on Tuesday was suspended for four years by the National Anti-Doping Agency for refusing to provide his sample for the dope test on March 10 during the selection trials for the national team. Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Bajrang Punia on Tuesday was suspended for four years by the National Anti-Doping Agency for refusing to provide his sample for the dope test on March 10 during the selection trials for the national team.
This decision came after NADA had initially suspended Bajrang Punia on April 23 for the same offence and this had led to a subsequent suspension by the World Governing Body, UWW.
The suspension means that Punia will not be allowed to participate in competitive wrestling or seek coaching opportunities overseas. He was first suspended by NADA on April 23 for the offense following which the World Governing Body UWW had also suspended him.
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After appealing against the provisional suspension, NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) revoked it on May 31 till NADA issued the notice of charge.
NADA, later on June 23 served the notice to the wrestler. Bajrang who had joined the Congress along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat, had challenged the charge on July 11 in a written submission following which hearings were held on September 20 and October 4.
“The Panel holds that the Athlete is liable for sanctions under Article 10.3.1 and liable for ineligibility for a period of 4 years,” the ADDP said in its order.
The suspension means that Bajrang will not be able to return to competitive wrestling and apply for a coaching job abroad. “In the present case, since the Athlete had been provisionally suspended, the Panel accordingly holds that the Athlete’s period of his ineligibility for the period of 4 years shall commence from the date on which the notification was sent, i.e., 23.04.2024.”
“Needless to say that on account of the lifting of the provisional suspension for the period from 31.05.2024 to 21.06.2024 shall not be credited into the total period of ineligibility of four years.”
However, Bajrang has stated that he had never refused to give samples but only demanded to know NADA’s response to his email where he sought an answer as to why expired kits were sent to take his samples in December 2023.
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“It was not an outright refusal per se. The athlete was always willing to provide his sample provided that he first received a response from NADA concerning the use of expired kits.” However NADA said, “the outright refusal by the athlete to provide urine sample for the dope test was intentional and deliberate” and that “Athlete has demonstrated utter disregard towards his duties and responsibilities as per Articles 20.1 & 20.2 of the Anti Doping Rules, 2021,” he added in his written submission.
