New Delhi: Bajrang Punia has claimed the National Anti-Doping Agency is keen to end his wrestling career as he has pointed out flaws in its system.
On June 24, NADA suspended him for the second time after it was lifted by its anti-doping disciplinary panel as he wasn’t issued a notice on charge of doping.
A notice was issued following his accquital and he was suspended again by NADA, which Punia said on social media platform X “shows how NADA is targeting me, they don’t want me to continue wrestling at any cost.”
The Tokyo Olympics medallist was initially suspended after getting beaten in the selection trials in Sonepat on March 10 for refusing to provide his urine sample to NADA.
Due to his loss in the trials, he couldn’t qualify for the Paris Olympics, after which he claimed to have never refused to give sample but only sought clarification on being sent an expired kit for sample collection in December 2023.
“They have no answers and they don’t want to take responsibility for their mistakes. They just want to harass the athlete to get rid of him.
“NADA doesn’t want anyone to question their wrong ways and if someone does, he is targeted so that he cannot continue his sport,” he wrote.
“Why doesn’t NADA answer about the expired kit? Why doesn’t NADA answer how an unregistered chaperone who was not named in the mission order approached and pressured me for sample collection?
“Why doesn’t NADA answer why I was pressured to collect samples between two matches when they knew I had only 20 minutes to prepare for the next bout,” the 30-year-old asked.
Punia vowed to fight till the very end legally and has time till July 11 to request for a hearing or accept the charge.
“If NADA wants to challenge the grit and determination of wrestlers to stand up for their rights for the sake of their arrogance, let them do it. The wrestler is here and will fight till the end. My lawyer will file his reply on time,” he said.
NADA has suspended Bajrang Punia for the second time after it was lifted by its anti-doping disciplinary panel Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
