Bajrang Punia Hits Back at NADA's 4 Year Ban: 'Political Conspiracy to Target Me'
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia has said that the four-year ban imposed on him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the result of "personal animosity and a political conspiracy" against him and accused the national doping body of "operating under the government's influence." Punia has been suspended for four years for refusing to provide a urine sample for anti-doping testing during the trials for the national team in March 2024. Afterwards, the United World Wrestling (UWW) has also put the World and Olympic medallist wrestler under suspension until December 31, 2024.
"This four-year ban is the result of personal animosity and a political conspiracy against me. This action has been taken as revenge for the movement we led in support of women wrestlers. In that movement, we raised our voices against injustice and exploitation," Punia wrote in a long post on X. "I want to make it clear that I never refused to undergo a doping test. When the NADA team came to test me, the doping kit they had was expired. This was a serious lapse, and I simply requested that the test be conducted with a valid and certified kit. This was essential for ensuring both my health and the security of my career. However, this issue was deliberately used as a weapon against me," he added.
The 30-year-old, who was one of the leading faces of the wrestlers' protest against the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, further accused the WFI and the ruling government of conspiring against him for his involvement in the protests against its former WFI chief. "The BJP government and the federation have conspired to trap me and destroy my career. This decision is not fair but rather an attempt to silence me and other athletes like me," he wrote. Earlier this year in July, Punia had also accused NADA of targeting him for pointing out flaws in their system. "NADA’s actions have proven that they have no regard for impartiality. Such institutions are operating entirely under the government's influence. The real motive behind this ban is to silence me and stop me from raising my voice against injustice. "Let me make it clear that even if I am suspended for life, I will not stop raising my voice against injustice. This fight is not just mine; it belongs to every athlete who has been silenced by the system. I will appeal against this decision and continue to fight for my rights until my last breath," the post concluded.
Bajrang Punia is one of India's most decorated wrestlers with multiple medals in the World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Championships in a decade-long international career starting with the 2013 Asian Championships in New Delhi, when he came into the limelight. He has been awarded the Arjuna Award (2015), Khel Ratna, and Padma Shri in 2019. In September this year, Punia joined the Indian National Congress ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls along with fellow Olympian Vinesh Phogat, who contested an election from the Jhulana seat and won.
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