The International Test Agency (ITA) has served notice to wrestler Vinesh Phogat for missed dope test dating back to December 2025 when she took a U-turn on her retirement. The Olympian missed the dope test on December 18 which marked her first whereabouts failure in the last 12 months. The notice was served on May 4, 2026, after a review of her explanation, dating back to January 19, was conducted.
As per the whereabouts clause, an athlete is served a warning for missing a dope test and not considering an anti-doping violation. However, an athlete in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) is required to specify a daily one-hour slot from 6 AM to 11 PM when he or she will be available for testing without any prior notice. On December 18, 2026, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) could not locate Vinesh, which led to the notice.
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In her explanation, Vinesh had said that she was travelling to Bengaluru to Chandigarh. The ITA understands that the Olympian welcomed a child. Reportedly, she also cooperated with the DCO after missing the test. She said that she was in Chandigarh for one of the meetings for the first winter session of the Haryana Assembly.
But, the ITA wasn't convinced with her explanation for failure to inform the agency about her whereabouts via SMS, email or mobile application on the date of testing or before that.
"In light of the above, the ITA finds that you were unable to establish that no negligent behaviour on your part caused or contributed to your failure," the notice stated.
Will Vinesh be suspended?
From May 4, Vinesh has a week to request an administrative review if she wants to contest the decision taken by ITA. If it is proved that she missed the test due to negligence, the decision will be final.
As per United World Wrestling (UWW) and the World Anti-Doping, Vinesh will not face any sanctions for one missed dope test. A wrestler can face a suspension for up to two years only if they miss three missed tests in a period of 12 months.
Vinesh’s recent accusations
Coincidentally, Vinesh was served the notice a day after she accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. Vinesh claimed that she is one of the six victims of the ex-WFI chief.
She also expressed her concerns around bias in the upcoming National Open Ranking tournament which will be held in Gonda. Later, WFI President Sanjay Singh assured her of fair chance to compete at the event on comeback.