Just when one thought that there will be no more debacle about India’s Rio 2016 contingent there have been not but two shocking revelations that have about. It involves two of India’s prominent medal hopes one in wrestling and the other in Shot put. Narsingh Yadav and Inderjeet Singh have both been tested positive for banned substance by NADA and their participation in the Olympics slotted next month is in jeopardy.
While both sports person have pleaded innocence and have regarded it some sort of controversy, it may indeed be the case if we were to look into their past. The case of Narsingh Yadav is in fact more curious for it has come after a long drawn battle against Sushil Kumar regarding who will be represent India in the Olympics.
The Prelude
Narsingh Yadav a Mumbaikar was always an outsider to the famed Haryana and Punjab wrestling culture and was always in shadow of Sushil Kumar
but it was he who won India the Olympic slot for at the World Champions by winning the bronze medal. But the speculations were rife that he might be replaced by Sushil Kumar, India’s most successful individual Olympian with a medal each in the last two editions but the Wrestling Federation of India went ahead even though Sushil Kumar tried his best by using social media and even putting forward a one off challenge to decide who represents India.
The Controversy
Finally after the reaffirmation Narsingh Yadav began his training at the Sonepat camp where the news of him being tested positive for both Samples A and B came out. The issue became controversial for a number of reasons. Firstly, he has never being previously tested positive and his last samples as early as on 5 June were clean. Secondly the substance for which he is accused of using has been on the ban list for ages, it was in fact used some three decades ago by athletes for performance enhancement. At a time when complex drugs which cannot be detected by WADA are in use why will he use a drug banned for so long right before the Olympics. Thirdly, statements by WFI chief of Narsingh Yadav’s complain about an attempt last month to add an “unknown substance” to food prepared at the Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat centre.
All these clearly point out that there is indeed a conspiracy to sabotage Yadav’s career.
The Future
As things stand now he has been suspended and is no longer part of India’s Rio contingent unless he can prove that he is not guilty and there was a bid to sabotage by his rivals. The legal aspect is a
A clause in the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules says that an athlete can be cleared of doping charges if it is conclusively proved that someone else spiked his food or drink with a banned drink.
Rule 10.4 in WADA’s 2016 Code reads: “If an athlete or other person establishes in an individual case that he or she bears no fault or negligence, then the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility shall be eliminated. They will only apply in exceptional circumstances, for example, where an athlete could prove that, despite all due care, he or she was sabotaged by a competitor.
The WFI is in full support of Narsingh Yadav and the President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh are backing the wrestler as they look to prove him innocent. What the outcome will be is there to be seen when NADA will takes a call but there is one thing that can be said for sure is that India is sure to miss out on a probable medal.
Narsingh Yadav’s preparation has been hampered earlier by the battle against Sushil Kumar and now this legal battle against doping. At a time when he should have been focusing on how to pin his opponents he is running from door to door first to win his right to represent and now to come out clean.
With reports of him thinking about committing suicide speaks volume about how much undue pressure he has been put under over the past few months.
This all though speaks about the state of sports in India and why we don’t win medals at Olympics.