Bajrang Punia: On Sunday, The National Anti-Doping Agency(NADA) suspended Tokyo Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia. The suspension came on the account that Punia denied giving his dope sample during the trials held at Sonipat in March.
Punia, along with Olympians Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat was at the forefront of the protest against BJP MP and president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Punia had also released a video a few months back where he claimed to have expired dope-collecting kits. He disregarded the dope control officer’s directives and claimed that NADA officials had not addressed his concerns.
Paris Berth In Danger?
Following the suspension charges, Punia will not be allowed to participate in the selection trials for the Paris Olympics. The trials are scheduled to be held later this month and the 65 kg quota is up for grabs.
No Indian has yet won the 65kg quota and Sujeet Kalkal will represent India in the World Qualifiers in the coming days.
In March, Punia left the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre angrily after being defeated by Rohit Kumar. He had refused to give his urine sample for the doping test as he did not even stay for the third position bout.
Bajrang Punia Refusal
On April 23, NADA stated Punia and asked him to respond by May 7th. The statement read “With subject to paragraph 4:1:2 below and in accordance with article 7.4 of the NADR 2021, Bajrang Punia has been immediately provisionally suspended from participation in any competition or activity prior to the final decision reached at a hearing in this matter.”
“If you do accept the consequences, the case will be resolved without further disciplinary proceedings, subject to the right of appeal. If you disagree, the matter will be referred for adjudication to the anti-doping disciplinary panel,” the letter stated.
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