Bajrang Punia, the bronze medal-winning wrestler from India’s Tokyo Olympics, has been handed a four-year suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for refusing to provide a sample for a doping test during the national team selection trials on March 10.
This ruling follows an initial suspension by NADA on April 23 for the same violation, which led to a further suspension by the World Wrestling Governing Body, UWW.
As a result, Punia will be prohibited from participating in competitive wrestling and will not be eligible for coaching opportunities abroad, should he choose to pursue them.
Bajrang initially contested the provisional suspension, and on May 31, NADA’s Anti-Disciplinary Doping Panel (ADDP) lifted it temporarily until formal charges were filed. NADA officially notified him of the charges on June 23.
In response, Bajrang, who had joined the Congress party with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat and taken a leadership role in the All India Kisan Congress, challenged the charges on July 11. Hearings were held on September 20 and October 4.
The ADDP concluded that Bajrang was responsible for violations under Article 10.3.1, resulting in a four-year ban on his eligibility.
Bajrang has repeatedly stated that his treatment in the doping control process was unfair, attributing it to his participation in protests against the former Wrestling Federation of India President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He clarified that he did not refuse to provide a sample but instead asked NADA for clarification about his concerns over the use of expired testing kits that were sent for his samples in December 2023.
