The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on Friday overturned the clean chit given to Narsingh yadav by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and slapped him with a four year ban. Narsingh’s Rio hopes officially came to an end after the CAS ruled the decision against Narsingh’s favour.
“The parties were informed that the application was upheld, that Narsingh Yadav was sanctioned with a four-year ineligibility period starting today and that any period of provisional suspension or ineligibility effectively served by the athlete before the entry into force of this award shall be credited against the total period of ineligibility to be served,” CAS said in a statement.
“Furthermore, all competitive results obtained by Narsingh Yadav from and including 25 June 2016 shall be disqualified, with all resulting consequences (including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes). The CAS Panel did not accept the argument of the athlete that he was the victim of sabotage and noted that there was no evidence that he bore no fault, nor that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional. Therefore the standard 4-year period of ineligibility was imposed by the Panel,” it added.
The 27-year-old wrestler was to take on France’s Zelimkhan Khadjiev in the qualification round. The verdict came as a painful blow to Narsingh’s Rio dreams. The controversy had already rattled the country, but Narsingh always maintained that his fellow compatriots at the Sports Authority of India might have spiked his food or drinks, thus leading to the doping scandal.
Narsingh’s family is devasted with the news. “I just got to know that my son got banned again. I don’t why it is happening to my son. My son is innocent and he has not done anything wrong. NADA decided in favour of my son, I don’t know why WADA is giving hardships to my son,” Narsingh’s mother Bhulna Devi said.
“I have no words. I am shocked to hear the news. My son has been preparing for four years. Not getting to play in the Olympics, in spite of preparing, is equivalent to getting paralysed,” Pancham Yadav, the wrestler’s father said.
“I appeal to PM Modi is to let my son play again,” he added.
His sister, too, appealed to the PM Modi to support her brother. She said, “I appeal to Modi ji to support us and get this ban on Narsingh Yadav removed. He would have won gold surely.”
While we waited for Narsingh to react on the matter, politician BB Sharan Singh said that Narsingh wasn’t in a position to comment on the issue. Sharan Singh said, “Unfortunate that first player to qualify for Olympics is banned all of a sudden.
“Narsingh Yadav is not in a position to talk right now, he has been constantly crying.”