The two-time World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat has found herself in a tight spot as she has been issued a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency. Vinesh, who was a part of the group of wrestlers protesting against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, along with Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Sangeeta Phogat.
The ace wrestler has been issued a notice for failure to comply with whereabouts requirements in regard to the anti-doping rules. The reigning Asian Games Champion, Phogat is set to return to competitive wrestling with Budapest Ranking Series 2023, starting from July 13.
According to a report by The Tribune, On June 27, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) visited her address in Sonipat, but Vinesh wasn’t present there and wasn’t available on the call. Not only this, but the officer also tried to contact her husband, Somvir Rathee, but there wasn’t any response from his side as well. Hence, NADA’s Project Officer Ankush Gupta has requested Phogat to respond to her “failure to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the ADR” within 14 days.
The official notice read, “I am writing to give you formal notice to notify of your apparent failure to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the ADR, and to invite you to make any comments before we come to a final decision on the matter.”
Notably, an athlete registered in NADA’s Registered Testing Pool is required to provide whereabouts information every quarter. The information includes the home address, email address, phone number and an address for overnight accommodations. Not only this but the athletes are also required to provide information about their competition schedules along with their locations as well as a 60-minute time slot for each day where they will be available for testing.
