National Anti-Doping Agency suspends wrestler Bajrang Punia for four years for violating rules
Punia claimed that the suspension was due to his involvement in the protests against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
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Wrestler Bajrang Punia was suspended for four years on Tuesday by the National Anti-Doping Agency for allegedly refusing to provide a sample for a dope test on March 10, PTI reported.
The agency is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Punia, who joined the Congress in September, called the suspension a “political conspiracy”, ANI reported.
He claimed that the action was taken due to his involvement in the protests against former Wrestling Federation of India chief and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual assault.
The National Anti-Doping Agency had initially suspended the Olympic bronze medallist in April for his refusal to submit his samples on March 10 during the trials to select the Indian team for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek.
Subsequently, the international governing body for the sport, the United World Wrestling, also suspended him, PTI reported.
However, Punia challenged his provisional suspension, claiming that he never refused to provide his samples. He also questioned why the National Anti-Doping Agency had sent expired kits for sample collection in December 2023.
On May 31, the agency’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel lifted its suspension pending the issuance of a charge notice. Following this, the National Anti-Doping Agency served the notice to the wrestler on...
