Clouds of doping scandal has loomed over Indian athletes as an Olympic-bound Indian wrestler was provisionally suspended after failing a dope test. While Indian Express reported that the identity of the wrestler is not disclosed as a ‘B’ sample test result is still pending, India Today reported that it is Sumit Malik that has failed the dope test.
Background
Indian wrestlers have always been a source of pride for sports fans and fraternity in the nation. Over the course of years Indian wrestlers have brought podium level medals in the last 3 Olympics (2008, 2012, % 2016). Wrestlers like Yogeshwar Dutt, Sushil Kumar and Sakshi Malik have made the nation proud by bringing bronze and silver. However, its also a sport that has smeared with the most number of doping cases. According to National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), wrestlers were the third biggest violators after weight lifters and athletes.
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Details
The wrestling fraternity of the nation is amid another doping scandal right before the starting of the Tokyo Olympics. According to recent reports, a Olympic bound wrestler was tested positive for consuming a banned substance. The wrestler has been suspended provisionally by the United World Wrestling (UWW). The Olympic bound wrestler was part of the 8-wrestler contingent that has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
The identity of the wrestler is currently unclear as Indian Express reported that the identity is currently withheld due to a pending doping sample result. However, on the other side, India Today reports that it is Sumit Malik who failed the doping test.
Malik wrestles in the 125 kg category and now his chances of making it to his Olympic debut are grim to none. Earlier, Malik was the last Indian wrestler who made the cut for the 2021 Olympics following Ravi Dahiya (57 kg), Bajrang Punia (65 kg) & Deepak Punia (86 kg).
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Who is Sumit Malik?
Sumit Malik is a 28-year-old wrestler who competes in the 125 kg freestyle wrestling category. Malik’s claim to fame was winning the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold. Further, he was also the podium winner at the Asian Wrestling Championships, 2017 and Commonwealth Wrestling Championship 2017, bringing a silver medal in each competition.
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Second consecutive Olympics where Indian wrestler is banned
The alleged dope-fail of Sumit Malik marks the second consecutive Olympics where an Indian wrestler was banned to appear for the sporting event after failing the test. Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Narsingh Yadav was part of the biggest sporting scandal in decades.
Yadav had dragged Sushil Kumar to court after alleging him of spiking his food. Although he was given clean chit by the NADA, he was not permitted to appear at the Rio Olympics. Later, he was given a 4-year suspension.
Last year, the suspension finally ended and Yadav did try to qualify for this year’s Olympics but was unsuccessful.
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Doping in India: Over 687 Athletes Banned Since 2009
According to National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) data, an alarming 687 athletes had been banned for doping offences as of 2016. The number is alarming because the 687 athletes were banned in the span of just 5 years. This means that an average of over 100 athletes get caught up in the malice of doping and are banned.
Ahead of the 2012 Olympics, a total of 176 sportspersons failed their doping tests and were banned. In 2016, ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the number saw a drop and 72 athletes were banned due to toping related charges. To give our reader a context on just how significant the issue of doping is, it should be noted that back in 2014, the country was 3rd in the world’s overall biggest doping offender’s list. The country was trailing behind Russia and Italy.
Sports that see the most doping cases
The NADA data suggests that a significant chunk of offenders (266) belong to the sport of track and field associated athletics. Track and field is closely followed by weightlifting as 169 offenders emerged were weightlifters. The remaining offenders represent the nation in sports such as boxing, cycling, wrestling, swimming, kabaddi and wrestling.
