New Delhi: Bajrang Punia, a professional wrestler, on Friday refuted claims that he had “refused” to give urine samples to the National Anti-Doping Agency for doping control testing.
On April 23, Punia was temporarily suspended after he failed to provide urine sample when he was approached by NADA DCO during Sonepat trails on March 10 for Paris Olympics Qualifying round.
The World Wrestling Federation (super world university) has therefore announced that this Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist is under a temporary ban until December 31st of this year.
“Provisional suspension by NADO IND for alleged ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation),” informed UWW in Bajrang’s profile on its website. Suspended until December 31, 2024 for the following reasons.
This decision now puts Punia’s qualification into question for the Paris Olympics in July this year.
On Sunday, following the NADA suspension, Punia tweeted that he never “refused” providing samples to NADA officials. Today however, X platform saw the wrestler taking his grievances out again on social media about what happened in more detail.
“I would like to clarify that I did not at any point refuse to offer my samples.” It was only later on March 10th, when the officials conducting the suspected doping tests came to me and I reminded them of the previous two times they had come for collecting my sample.
