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India's Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia has been slapped with a four-year suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency on November 26 for refusing to provide his sample for dope test earlier this year. The incident occured on March during the selection trials for the national team.
On April 23, NADA had first suspended the 30-year-old. The World Governing body UWW also followed suit and suspended him. However, his suspension was revoked after the wrestler appealed against provisional suspension. On June 23, NADA served the notice to Punia.
“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,” NADA’s Anti-Disciplinary Doping panel (ADDP) said in its order.
The suspension also prevents Punia from returning to competitive wrestling or apply for a coaching job outside India.
“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.”
Bajrang joined Congress party with wrestler Vinesh Phogat earlier this year. He was one of three prominent faces of the protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Bajrang has often been vocal about unfair treatment regarding doping tests for raising his voice against Brij Bhushan who has been accused of sexual harrassment.
In a response to NADA, Bajrang said that he never refused to give sample. He also accused NADA of sending expired kits sent to him to give sample in December 2023. In reply, NADA said that the Chaperone/DCO approached and informed him to provide a urine sample but he refused.
Bajrang further clarified “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.”
In reply, 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.”
