Indian Olympic medal-winning wrestler, Bajrang Punia, has been banned for four years for allegedly avoiding a doping test. The 30-year-old, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, had been provisionally suspended for refusing to provide a urine sample to the national anti-doping agency (NADA) in March. Punia has maintained his innocence, claiming that he did not refuse testing but was wary of an expired kit brought by officials to take his sample.
Punia was a leading figure in protests against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, in 2023. The wrestlers demanded Singh’s removal over allegations of sexual misconduct towards female athletes. Singh denied the allegations and attributed them to a conspiracy to oust him from parliament.
Punia believes that the testing ban was Singh’s way of seeking revenge for the protests. Wrestling holds a significant place in rural northern India, and Punia and fellow protester Vinesh Phogat have since joined the opposition Congress Party. India has had the highest number of drug cheats in the world in 2022, with over 100 positive results reported.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has highlighted the prevalence of doping violations in India, despite countries with larger athlete pools such as China, the United States, and Russia reporting fewer violations. Punia’s ban has raised questions about doping practices in Indian sports and the need for stringent measures to combat performance-enhancing drugs.
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