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Dope-tainted wrestler Narsingh Yadav alleges conspiracy in statement before CBI
Narsingh Yadav, who was banned for four years after failing a dope test, has told CBI that another wrestler mixed narcotics and banned substances in his meals and drinks
India wrestler Narsingh Yadav alleged conspiracy that led to him failing two dope tests and ultimately being banned for four years before the Rio Olympics. Yadav recorded his statement before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday, alleging that another wrestler mixed narcotics and banned substances in his meals and drinks to prevent his participation in the Rio Olympics.
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Yadav, in his recording, also said that conspiracy was hatched against him by mixing some banned stuff in his meals at Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Sonepat, but he failed to provide any substantial evidence to support his allegations He, however, remains hopeful that soon he would be back on the wrestling mat.
The CBI is now preparing to seek clarifications from SAI officials in the matter. Yadav has been facing doping charges after the National Anti Doping Authority (NADA) conducted two positive anti-doping tests with methandienone on June 25 and July 5 last year.
Despite getting a clean chit from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) had banned him for four years in its ‘operative award’ on August 18, barely hours before his 74kg freestyle opening bout was scheduled at the Rio Olympics.
The development came after the WADA filed an urgent application before the CAS, challenging NADA’s decision to exonerate the 26-year-old grappler following two positive anti-doping tests. Yadav had submitted that the doping offence was due to sabotage carried out by Jithesh (a junior wrestler and a member of Sushil Kumar’s entourage) by mixing his energy drinks with prohibited substance on either June 23 or 24.
However, the CAS had dismissed the sabotage theory, saying that the grappler failed to produce any real evidence in the matter while ruling that he took the “banned substance intentionally in tablet form”. On October 18, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) confirmed that the dope case has been referred to the CBI for further investigation.
