NADA concludes Narsingh’s hearing, decision deferred
29 July 2016 12:52 AM GMT
A day after Narsingh and his lawyers presented their case on the failed dope test, which according to them, was a conspiracy against the grappler, NADA’s legal team gave its arguments against the sabotage theory before the disciplinary committee.
“Hearing has been concluded today. The judgement will come out either on Saturday or Monday,” NADA’s lawyer Gaurang Kanth told reporters at the end of the hearing on Thursday.
“The argument by NADA was that he is not eligible for remission which he has been asking. Narsingh did not produce the relevant circumstantial evidence that there could have been sabotage as had been claimed by them,” he added.
“They filed an affidavit that his drinks or water was spiked but they did not produce the evidence to prove it to satisfy NADA and WADA,” he argued.
The wrestler, who has alleged the involvement of fellow grapplers in the conspiracy, has already been replaced by Parveen Rana in the Olympic bound squad but will be reinstated if he gets a favourable verdict from NADA.
NADA’s lawyer, however, on Thursday said that Narsingh’s claims of conspiracy are not backed by sufficient proof. “We argued that the requirement of due diligence and care which was needed to escape from punishment was not provided as to satisfy the WADA Code. So we said he should be given punishment as appropriate this panel thinks fit,” Kanth said.
“We also opposed his contention that he was not negligent and had not committed mistake in not taking due care as an athlete. We said as an international athlete he should have taken due care about his food and drinks. But from what he had produced before the panel there was nothing to prove due care on his part,” he added.
“So under WADA Code if he fails to prove due care and diligence he should not be given remission and should be punished. The arguments are over let us see what the panel decides.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Narsingh and his battery of lawyers presented their case. “We have put Narsingh’s argument. We have full faith in the NADA panel. We are trying to convince them. We are hopeful he will be exonerated. NADA panel is helpful. We have presented our argument today and panel was very patient and we had a very fair hearing. NADA will present their case tomorrow,” Narsingh’s lawyer Vidushpat Singhania had said.
On a second successive day of chaos at the NADA headquarters, Narsingh’s supporters shouted slogans demanding justice for him. The wrestler has also filed a police complaint, implicating two fellow wrestlers. However, his supplements have reportedly been found to be clean.
Narsingh filed an FIR at the Sonepat Police Station naming two fellow wrestlers, one of them a 17-year-old, and persisted with his demand for a CBI probe into the scandal that has sent shockwaves into the Indian sporting fraternity.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has backed Narsingh. Sports Minister Vijay Goel, on the other hand, has stuck to his stand that the government will abide by international rules when it comes to deciding on Narsingh’s trip to Rio in the aftermath of the controversy.
Narsingh’s hopes of competing in the Olympics had faded further after the wrestler failed a second dope test which was conducted on him on July 5. It is learnt that Narsingh, already under provisional suspension for failing a June 25 dope test, has also flunked the second test done on his ‘A’ sample and refused the ‘B’ sample test.
Narsingh had been picked ahead of two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar after he won the quota place with a bronze medal in the World Championships. Freestyle wrestler Rana had earlier won a gold medal in the 74kg category at the Dave Schultz Memorial wrestling tournament in USA
in 2014.
Narsingh, if cleared, can participate, says IOC
The Indian Olympics Association (IOA) on Thursday said that it will not object to wrestler Narsingh Yadav replacing Praveen Rana in the Rio Olympics if he is cleared by NADA in an ongoing dope scandal.
Rana has been nominated by Wrestling Federation of India for the 74kg freestyle quota place after Narsingh tested positive for a banned steroid. Narsingh’s case is being heard by a NADA Disciplinary panel.
“IOA is just like a post office. We are the facilitators. We have nominated Praveen Rana in place of Narsingh on the desire of the WFI, which was accepted by the United World Wrestling (UWW),” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta said. “If WFI wants to resend Narsingh for Rio Games after a favourable decision from NADA panel and if the international federation (UWW) agrees to that, why would we object? We have no issues in that and we will allow Narsingh to be in the Olympics in that case,” he added.
Mehta also said the IOA has cleared a 211-member contingent, including 124 athletes, for the Rio Games. The Indian contingent will have 87 members as support staff, including coaches.
Police investigation team visits SAI Sonipat centre
A police team on Thursday visited the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre here to hold investigations in the wake of Dope scandal allegedly involving embattled Narsingh Yadav ahead of his proposed Olympic run.
“A police team had questioned the witnesses, coaches, wardens in view of FIR registered on the complaint of Narsingh Yadav,” Crime Investigation Department (CIA) officer Indervir, who had been appointed to probe the matter, said. “We are taking statements from witnesses, wardens, coaches and also taken in possession few utensils,” he said.
He, however, said that Jitesh, the fellow grappler of Narsingh, who had been named by the wrestler in his complaint, will be interrogated later.
The wrestler has alleged that he has been framed in the doping scandal by rivals, who spiked his food and supplements to stop him from going to Rio. However, his supplements have reportedly been found to be clean.
WFI President Brij Bhushan, who was at the SAI Centre, said that Narsingh has kept his views before the NADA which is expected to announce a decision today. After seeing the condition at the SAI Centre, he was of the opinion that anything can happen here. However, SAI Centre does not come under the purview of the WFI which cannot do anything in the matter.
Narsingh filed an FIR at the Sonepat Police Station naming a fellow wrestler, one of them a 17-year-old, and persisted with his demand for a CBI probe into the scandal that has sent shock waves into the Indian sporting fraternity.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) backed Narsingh but announced that Parveen Rana would replace him in the squad for Rio de Janeiro, a move that was approved by the sport’s world governing body — United World Wrestling.
“I have always maintained that there has been a conspiracy against me. If I am cleared of the charges, I will go to Rio. I have identified the boy who was seen contaminating my food. I have given a detailed complaint to the police,” Narsingh had said after filing his complaint yesterday.
“I feel even officials are involved because I am not being provided the CCTV footage,” he had added.
Narsingh himself desisted from taking names but WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh revealed the alleged saboteurs while talking to the media on Wednesday.
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