Wrestler Narsingh Pancham Yadav Doping Row: How It Unfolded

Just days to go for the Rio Olympics, two doping cases has sent Indian sport into a tailspin. Wrestler Narsingh Pancham Yadav, who was entered for the 74 kg freestyle competition, is now facing a National Anti-Doping Agency hearing when he should be training hard for the Summer Games. Narsingh will know his fate on Thursday evening.

Shot-putter Inderjeet Singh is also facing a similar predicament even though he seems to be on a better wicket. Inderjeet was one of the first to qualify for the Games.

Sports minister Vijay Goel has issued a statement in the Lok Sabha on Thursday outlining the role of NADA and how Narsingh was found to have tested positive for a banned drug. Following is the sequence of events:

1. Narsingh Pancham Yadav won bronze medal in 2015 world wrestling championship. By virtue of this medal, he won a quota place for India in 74 Kg freestyle wrestling event in Olympic 2016 to be held at Rio, Brazil. He was training at Sports Authority of India centre in Sonepat.

2. National Anti-Doping Agency (an Autonomous Body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) has been established in the year 2009 and is mandated for dope free sports in India. NADA is fully compliant to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code with the aim to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sports in India.

3. As per WADA / NADA rules, any athlete can be tested anytime, anywhere and with no advance notice during out-of-competition. The athletes under registered testing pool are tested frequently with no advance notice as per the whereabouts information. The out-of-competition testings are planned based on the training camp details of the athletes received from Sports Authority of India (SAI) / National Sports Federations (NSFs). Athletes participating in the major events are tested regularly. The in-competition testing is based on the medal positions and random testing.

4. Samples of Narsingh Pancham Yadav were collected on June 25 and July 5, 2016

5. Sample A collected on June 25 was reported to be dope positive. The athlete was informed by email. As per the anti-doping rules of NADA, the wrestler gave his consent for the B sample analysis. The B sample of June 25 was opened and analysed in the presence of the wrestler on July 21 and the laboratory submitted the report. The B sample analysis report confirmed the presence of the same substance (Adverse Analytical Finding for Methandienone) in the sample. He has been provisionally suspended by NADA.

6. In the meantime in view of the advice of WADA, another sample of the wrestler was taken on July 5. Sample A of the said test was also reported to be positive on July 23 and athlete was informed about the same. The athlete has submitted in writing that he does not want to get the B sample opened and tested in his presence.

7. The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of NADA held its hearing in this case on July 23 and 27. As per the hearing on July 23, the anti-doping disciplinary panel directed NADA to conduct testing of the food supplements submitted by athlete at the laboratory. The laboratory reported that there are no banned substances detected in food supplements submitted by athlete.