Bajrang Punia, India’s Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler, was suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for four years for refusing to submit a sample for a doping test on March 10 during the national team selection trials. This decision came after NADA had initially suspended Bajrang Punia on April 23 for the same offence, which led to a subsequent suspension by the World Governing Body, UWW.
This suspension means that he will not be allowed to participate in competitive wrestling nor seek coaching opportunities overseas, should he wish to do so.
Bajrang contested the initial provisional suspension, and on May 31, NADA’s Anti-Disciplinary Doping Panel (ADDP) lifted the suspension temporarily until a formal notice of charges was issued. On June 23, NADA formally notified him of the charges.
In response to this, Bajrang, who had aligned himself with the Congress party alongside fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat and assumed leadership of the All India Kisan Congress, filed a challenge against the charges on July 11. Following this, hearings took place on September 20 and October 4.
The ADDP concluded that Bajrang was accountable for sanctions under Article 10.3.1, resulting in a four-year ban on his eligibility.
“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,” the ADDP said in its order.
“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 cries foul play
Bajrang has consistently claimed that he was subjected to unfair treatment regarding doping control due to his involvement in protests against the former Wrestling Federation of India President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He insisted that he never outright refused to provide a sample but rather sought clarification from NADA regarding his concerns over the use of expired testing kits that were sent for his samples in December 2023.
NADA defended its actions, affirming that the Chaperone/Doping Control Officer (DCO) had properly approached him, explaining the requirement to provide a urine sample for analysis. In his written defense, Bajrang expressed that NADA’s previous conduct had led to mistrust, claiming that the organization’s lack of acknowledgment or response in past incidents eroded his confidence in the doping control process. He felt a sense of moral obligation to address these concerns as a prominent athlete in the sports community.
Bajrang stated that he was always willing to provide a sample, contingent upon receiving adequate responses from NADA regarding the expired kits. However, NADA maintained that his refusal to cooperate was both intentional and deliberate, asserting that he has shown a blatant disregard for his responsibilities as outlined in Articles 20.1 and 20.2 of the Anti-Doping Rules, 2021.
