11 DAYS TO GO Sushil unlikely to replace Narsingh
EMBARRASSMENT India may go unrepresented in the 74kg category wrestling after berth winner tests positive for steroid
NEW DELHI: Narsingh Yadav’s doping infringement that rules him out of the Olympics doesn’t mean that Sushil Kumar, the country’s most successful individual Olympian, gets a shot at the Rio games.
Since Sushil’s name wasn’t mentioned in the probables’ list sent to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), it practically rules the double Olympic medallist from replacing Yadav on the Rio bound team.
International Olympic Committee’s rule states that those names sent as part of the tentative list will only be entertained to replace an athlete as per their late athlete replacement policy.
“The NOC of the replacement Athlete had applied successfully for accreditation for the athlete prior to 29 April (accreditation application deadline). As such, the replacement athlete has been registered by Rio 2016 in “NOC’s athlete accreditation long list”, the rule states.
The WFI, as per sources, has sent Jitender’s name as a cover in the 74-kg weight category in the probables list. A final call in this matter will only be taken by the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Jitender won the 2015 National Championships in the said weight category.
Also, the sources have pointed raised doubt about WFI’s motives as they came to know about Narsingh’s failed test by July 17. They waited for July 18 – the last day for sport entries – to pass in the hope of warding off any pressure from Sushil’s camp.
However, it wouldn’t have counted as Jitender’s name had already been sent as part of the first list.
WFI is yet to write to the concerned authorities as well as to United World Wrestling (UWW) for a name change because of this development. Sources have said the WFI will not move an inch in this regard as they are waiting on the final verdict by NADA’s anti-doping disciplinary panel in this case.
Furthermore, the much publicised spat between the federation officials and Sushil over his demands to hold the trials too has also dented outside chances of going to Rio.
Yadav secured Olympics quota in 2015 when he won the bronze at the world wrestling championships in las Vegas. The WFI, however, denied Kumar a trial to take on Yadav and stake a claim to the Olympic slot. Kumar went to the Delhi high court to win the right to compete against Yadav. The court, however, ruled that Yadav had already qualified for the games. ‘WE WILL SEE’ Sushil’s mentor and father-inlaw Mahabali Satpal has rubbished rumours that he had engineered this dope shocker before the games. “I would have ensured that the federation agreed to our demands of holding trials, if I had the clout that many say I have. He flunked a test and all this talk that he is being framed is an attempt to deflate attention from that dope test. As a senior athlete he should have taken all precaution. It is shameful to hear that such a senior athlete has been caught. Wrestling’s stature in India has been hurt,” Satpal told HT.
When asked whether Sushil was ready to represent India if the situation arises, he added that the federation and the sports ministry will have to decide in the matter first. “It is up to them. We will only think about it if we are approached by the federation or the ministry in this regard.”