After failing dope test, Olympics-bound wrestler Sumit provisionally suspended

With just a few weeks to go for the Games in Tokyo, Olympics-bound Indian wrestler Sumit Malik has been provisionally suspended after failing a dope test during the recent Qualifiers in Bulgaria.

It marks the second consecutive instance of an Indian wrestler being caught in the dope net before the Olympic Games. Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Narsingh Pancham Yadav had failed a dope test and was slapped with a four-year ban.

Sumit had qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 125kg category at the World Olympic Qualifier in Sofia, Bulgaria, which was the last chance for wrestlers to earn quota places. The 28-yearold’s participation at the main event, starting July 23, is uncertain now.

“We got a mail from the UWW (United World Wrestling) on Thursday which said that Sumit has failed the dope test and has been suspended provisionally. The substance found in his sample is said to be 5-methylhexan-2-amine (1, 4-dimethylpentylamine),” Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) secretary Vinod Tomar told PTI on Friday.

“We are surprised. He must have taken it unknowingly, he has a clean track record. Let us wait for the result of his B sample,” added Tomar. Sumit has been nursing a knee injury that he suffered during the national camp, before the Qualifiers began at different venues.

He had competed at the Asian Qualifiers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in April, but did not succeed in earning a quota. He then battled at the Asian Championship in the same city and returned medal-less. However, at the World Olympic Qualifiers in Sofia in May, Sumit earned a quota by reaching the final, which he forfeited due to the same injury.

To let his injured knee heal completely before the Olympic Games, Sumit was also planning to skip the exposure trip to Poland that the WFI had arranged for its Tokyo-bound group.

It is clear that by the time the hearing takes place and a verdict comes out, he would miss competing at the Olympics. The only way out for him is if the UWW decides to expedite the matter, keeping in mind that the Olympics is nearing.

We are surprised. Sumit Malik must have taken it unknowingly, he has a clean track record. Let us wait for the result of his B sample

Vinod Tomar, Wrestling Federation of India secretary