Wrestler Bajrang Punia banned : The National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada) has suspended Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist wrestler Bajrang Punia for refusing to submit a dope test sample during the national team selection trials on March 10, 2024. ) has been suspended for four years. The Tokyo Games bronze medalist, who was initially suspended by NADA on April 23, was also suspended by the World Wrestling Federation (UWW) in the wake of the incident.
Read :- Bajrang Punia dragged NADA to court against the ban, Indian wrestler wants to play World Championship
This suspension effectively ends Bajrang's career in competitive wrestling and limits his opportunities to take up coaching roles at the international level.
NADA clarified that the suspension period will start from April 23, 2024, the date the notification was sent. However, the period between May 31, 2024 and June 21, 2024, when the provisional suspension was lifted, will not be counted towards the total ineligibility period of four years.
Bajrang Punia has consistently claimed that his refusal was not deliberate, but stemmed from distrust in NADA due to past experiences. He cited two instances in which NADA allegedly used expired kits for sample collection, including an incident in December 2023.
He said: “It was not an outright denial. The athlete was always ready to provide his sample provided he first received a response from NADA regarding the use of expired kits.”
Read :- Bajrang Punia Suspended Again: Indian Bajrang Punia suspended again, NADA gave notice and asked for reply till 11th July
Bajrang argued that the absence of accountability from NADA led to distrust, forcing him to take his stand as a senior athlete.
Comments are closed.