Report: India at risk of losing Asian games medal and Paris Olympics quota in boxing

An unnamed Indian boxer has been reportedly served notice by the ITA.

In a recent development, India reportedly faces the possibility of losing one of its hard-earned medals from the 107 won at the Asian Games, along with a valuable quota place at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The cause of this jeopardy is an unnamed Indian boxer who has been issued a notice by the International Testing Agency (ITA) due to multiple whereabouts failures.

According to a report in The Tribune, the said boxer could be stripped of the medal as well as the Paris Olympic quota earned during the Asian Games.

The report also adds that the boxer in question is currently in the process of filing a reply to the notice, and there is optimism for a favorable resolution to the matter. It also mentions that "Athletes who are part of the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are mandated to use the Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS) to update their whereabouts information every three months.

"According to the World Athletics Anti-Doping (WADA) rules, a combination of three failures, which can be either failing to file whereabouts details or missing tests within a span of 12 months, constitutes an anti-doping rule violation. Depending on the extent of the fault, an athlete found guilty could face a maximum sanction of two years of ineligibility or a reduced sanction of one year."

The failure to file whereabouts in this particular case occurred before the commencement of the Asian Games. Notably, the Boxing Federation of India was only informed of this issue after the conclusion of the Games, says the report.

It also adds that this incident is the third of its kind in recent times. Previously, prominent Indian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Pooja Dhanda were also served with notices for failing to provide their samples as required by anti-doping regulations.

This development highlights the significance of adhering to stringent anti-doping protocols and the potential consequences for athletes and their respective nations. India's sports authorities will be closely monitoring the situation and working to resolve the issue to prevent the loss of an Asian Games medal and a quota place for the Paris Olympics.