'Timing of Ban on Narsingh Suspect, Russia Behind it?'
Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav was banned for four years merely a day before his 74 kg freestyle bout at the Olympic Games in Rio.
Highlights
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Narsingh Yadav was banned for four years by CAS
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He was supposed to take part in the men's 74 kg wrestling bout in Rio
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Narsingh said he was devastated at being banned
The timing of the ban against Narsingh Yadav leaves 'a bad taste in the mouth', says his lawyer Vidushpat Singhania. Singhania was instrumental in the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) clearing Narsingh.
The decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after NADA's parent body hearing hours before Narsingh's bout in Brazil. The matter had reached the court after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sought a review of NADA's clearance.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told NDTV that it was too late to get their own lawyer (Vidushpat) to Rio de Janeiro for the hearing and that may have proved decisive.
Vidushpat told NDTV that Russia could be behind the WADA move to ban Narsingh. Remember WADA had called for a blanket ban on Russian athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned 118, cleared 271.
Vidushpat also said while CAS heard his views via video conferencing, he did not know why WADA sought a hearing so close to Narsingh's bout.
The WFI has demanded a CBI inquiry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) general secretary Rajeev Mehta also said "all this cannot be sheer co-incidence."