Bajrang Punia: Olympic Bronze Medallist Suspended Again After NADA's Formal Notice

For the unversed, Bajrang’s suspension was cancelled by a disciplinary panel after he was not issued a charge notice. However, NADA has now issued the same and the suspension has been handed.

Previously, the Haryana-born was provisionally suspended after he refused to provide his sample to the NADA during the time of his selection trials for the men’s national team for the Asian Qualifiers in Sonepat on March 10.

Bajrang refused to compete in the 3rd-4th place bout and had also walked off the venue without providing his urine sample after losing the previous encounter.

According to a report from the Tribune, “the latest order was issued by NADA on Thursday and he has been asked to respond to the latest suspension by July 11”.

Punia had also alleged that a dope collecting officer had tried to use expired kits to collect the samples and hence had refused.

“This is to clarify that, I have at no stage refused to give my sample for doping control. On 10 March 2024, when I was approached by alleged doping control officials, I merely reminded them that the last two times they came to collect my sample, they had gotten expired kits once and on the other instance, they had approached me with a single testing kit as opposed to the three testing kits," Punia wrote on his X account.

"I then sought an answer from them as the NADA did not provide an answer to any of my communications demanding an explanation for the same and informed them that I would give my sample upon receiving such explanation from them. Not only did the doping control officials refuse to provide an explanation, they did not provide me any proof on this instance of them carrying proper equipment and merely left from the venue where i was at, claiming it to be a refusal from my end,” he added.