Indian wrestling has suffered another setback before the Asian Games starting from September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Greco-Roman wrestler Deepak has been found guilty of consuming banned substance clomiphene in the dope test, ending India's hopes of another medal. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has removed Deepak's name from the team.
India has also lost their berth in the Asiad. Now India's challenge in wrestling has become weaker. India had already lost two berths in wrestling at the Asian Games due to doping cases. Doping cases were reported against Mukul Dahiya of Freestyle 86 kg category and Dipanshu of Greco Roman 130 kg category.
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Deepak had achieved unexpected victory in the trial
Deepak was the first wrestler from the Indian Postal Service to make it to the Indian team for the Asian Games. This 25-year-old wrestler from Delhi had made a place in the team by registering an unexpected victory in the selection trials held in Lucknow on 31 May. Earlier, he had impressed by winning a medal in the Federation Cup. According to the notification issued by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), presence of clomiphene was found in Deepak's urine sample taken during the selection trials.
Clomiphene is a banned substance in category S4 (Hormone and Metabolic Modulators) in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list of 2026. NADA said that the samples showed abnormal findings on July 23. Following further investigation and an interview with Ressler on August 17, it was decided to pursue the case as an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF). Let us tell you that Clomiphene is commonly used for the treatment of infertility in men and women.
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Deepak has not been suspended yet
NADA's notification does not say that Deepak has been temporarily suspended. It has been clarified that till the disposal of the case, a temporary suspension has not been imposed on him and he can participate in the competitions unless the suspension is imposed on him later. However, the notification states that if an anti-doping rule violation (NDRV) is confirmed, the results achieved from the date of sample collection till May 31, 2026, till the commencement of any temporary suspension, may be disqualified.
If the presence of clomiphene is confirmed in the B sample or Deepak refuses to get the B sample tested, then NDRV will be confirmed under the applicable anti-doping rules. A WFI official told news agency PTI that the federation is removing Deepak from the team because if his sample comes positive again during the Asiad, then World Wrestling's governing body UWW can impose a fine of Rs 20 lakh on the WFI.
The official said, 'Deepak really surprised the coach by winning the trial. He was never a part of the national camp, so he was not tested adequately. He made it to the team through trials after winning a medal in the Federation Cup. He further said, 'We are removing him from the team.' The WFI says that if it had received timely information about the adverse doping results, it could have saved all three quota places.
India lost berth due to results coming in July
The officer said, 'Deepanshu's test was done in March and we got his results in July. Similarly, samples of Mukul and Deepak were taken on May 31 and we are getting their results now. If we had got information about the results earlier, we would not have sent their names. We could have sent other wrestlers in their place but nothing can be done now. The wrestler has the right to challenge the result of the 'A' sample. For this he can request testing of B sample. They will have to exercise this right within seven days of receiving the notice.