Vinesh Phogat warned by NADA for whereabouts failure

Vinesh Phogat has been served a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday for “apparent failure” to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the Anti-Doping Rules. The wrestler has been given two weeks to respond.

One of the athletes in NADA's Registered Testing Pool, Vinesh has been given her first of three possible warnings that could eventually lead to a doping violation. Three whereabouts failures (whether a filing failure or missed test) within a 12-month period constitute an anti-doping rule violation.

Two more such notices could result in a doping ban, much like gymnast Dipa Karmakar had been.

“I am writing to give you formal notice to notify you 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. Please read this letter carefully, as it may have serious consequences for you,’ said the notice from NADA.

“By email dated 08-March-2022 & 12-December-2022, we advised you that you have been included in our Registered Testing Pool, and therefore that under the ADR you are required to make a whereabouts filing at the beginning of each quarter, providing certain specified information about your whereabouts each day in the forthcoming quarter, and are further required to be available for testing at those declared whereabouts, in accordance with the International Standard for Result Management (ISRM) Article B.2.4,” added the notice.

The notice also said that Vinesh had declared to be available for testing at Sonipat, Haryana in her recent Whereabouts Filing on June 27 at 10:00 PM.

“We sent Doping Control Officers (“DCOs”) to test you on that day at that time and place. However, the DCO was unable to locate you for testing as you were not available at the given location,” the notice added.

The notice said that as per their review of the file, it appeared that “all elements of a missed test” were present in the case.

“It, therefore, appears that you have committed a whereabouts failure under the ADR,” the notice added.

The notice urged Vinesh to respond within 14 days and accept that she had committed a Whereabouts Failure or if not, explain her reasoning in detail.

“For example, if you claim you were present at the location specified for the specified 60-minute time slot for the day in question, please provide any corroborating evidence and comment on why the DCO was unable to find you for Testing. If you were not present, but claim that your absence (and your failure to update your whereabouts filing to reflect that absence) was not due to any negligence on your part, please explain the basis of that claim in full. You should enclose copies of all documents or other evidence on which you seek to rely in your explanation,” added the notice.

Notably, Vinesh was among the wrestlers who protested against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, against whom allegations of sexual harassment were made. The reigning Asian Games champion Phogat was also supposed to be making her return to competitive wrestling at the Budapest Ranking Series 2023 starting from Thursday, as per Olympics.com.

(With ANI inputs)