Another doping fiasco hit Indian sports after Tokyo-bound wrestler Sumit Malik failed his dope test. The wrestler who was set to compete in the 125kg category, has since lost his place from the quadrennial games.
Malik who won his Olympic quota with a stellar performance in the Olympic qualifiers held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in early May. It was the substance taken from the very tournament which has landed the wrestler from Haryana in soup.
The sample was collected by the United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body and after the results came out, UWW excercised its right to hand Malik a provisional suspension for six months, till December of this year. Which basically means he will not be apart of the Tokyo Olympics and India will thus miss out on a chances of fielding a contestant in the 125kg category.
Methylhexanamine — 5-methylhexan-2-amine (1,4-dimethylpentylamine) — is the banned substance which was found in urine, this falls in the category of a “specified” substance.
Before all this happened, India was supposed to send its largest wrestling contingent, with eight members, which is one more than Rio Olympics. What’s worse is that Sumit was actually touted as a medal contender in the category.
For doping offence committed at an international event, India’s wrestling body, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is bound to pay a hefty fine of Rs 16 lakh to the world’s governing body. Now, according to a TOI report, federation has a policy of recovering the penalty from dope-tainted grapplers. So, this ban is going to hit Sumit financially as well. That’s not it, he would also be required to return Rs 5 lakh to the Haryana sports department, which he was paid in advance last month to prepare for the Games.
If Sumit is found guilty and doesn’t pay the fine, the WFI might ban him for life.
However, there’s still hope for Sumit. He has been told by the lab authorities to get his ‘B’ sample tested latest by June 10. Now, according to WADA rules:
- If the B sample confirms the analysis of the A sample, the Anti-Doping Organization will proceed with the results management process, including your right to a fair hearing.
- If the B sample does not confirm the analysis of the A sample, no further action will be taken and, of course, any Provisional Suspension will be lifted.
However, a failure to appear before the authorities would be construed as his acceptance of a positive dope result. Sumit can also either waive his right for ‘B’ sampling or authorise an independent observer to be present before lab technicians when the kit containing the remaining part of his urine sample is opened.
As per procedure, an independent hearing by the UWW’s anti-doping disciplinary panel (ADDP) would be held to listen to the arguments from both the parties and decide the quantum of punishment, if any. Sumit currently faces a ban ranging between two and four years.
But, very unlikely the hearing would be held before the Tokyo Games. However, Sumit’s lawyers can appeal for an early hearing keeping his Olympics participation in mind. But that will depend on the UWW’s discretion.
Non-specified (anabolic steroids) and specified substances are the two types of substances (stimulants).
In the case of an unspecified material, the management authority’s automatic suspension kicks in.
In the event of a specific failure, the athlete is given the option of requesting a “voluntary" suspension in order to avoid a lengthy suspension.
The UWW has most likely exercised its right to provisionally suspend Sumit for six months based on World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) clause 6.2.2 governing ‘result management’.
“Whether or not to impose a provisional suspension is a matter for the results management authority to decide at its discretion, taking into account all the facts and evidence. A provisional suspension under this Article 6.2.2 may be imposed at any point during results management, including prior to the analysis of the B Sample,” the clause says
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here