Indian boxer at risk of losing 2024 Paris Olympics quota due to anti-doping rule violation
India could lose one of its four 2024 Paris Olympics berths in boxing after a female athlete has been accused of an anti-doping rule violation.
According to the International Testing Agency (ITA), the athlete in question was handed a notice for multiple whereabouts failures as per the World Anti-Doping Agency rules.
PTI reported that she is said to have failed to file her whereabouts in the period before the 2022 Asian Games.
If found guilty, the pugilist is at risk of being stripped of her Asian Games medal and Summer Games quota, along with a maximum two-year ban. The ban could be reduced to one year depending on the degree of her offense.
However, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is optimistic that the country will not lose a Paris Olympics quota.
"The notice was for the period before the Asian Games and the federation got to know about it only after the Games. The boxer was in a disturbed state of mind during that time as one of her parents had been diagnosed with a serious medical condition," the official told PTI.
"The BFI legal team has been intimated, it is looking into the matter. There should not be an issue (like taking away the medal or Olympic quota) as we will explain the reason for the failure," the official added.
The four Indian boxers who have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics are Nikhat Zareen (flyweight), Preeti Sai Pawar (bantamweight), Parveen Hooda (featherweight), and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (middleweight).
2024 Elorda Cup: Paris Olympics-bound Nikhat Zareen and three other Indian women reach finals
Meanwhile, Indian women have been performing well at the ongoing Elorda Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan.
On Thursday (May 16), world champion Nikhat Zareen registered an impressive 5-0 win against home favorite Tomiris Myrzakul to enter the women’s 52kg final. Minakshi (48kg), Anamika (50kg), and Manisha (60kg) have also reached the finals with comfortable wins.
The quartet could be joined by Shalakha Singh Sansanwal (70kg) and Monika (81+ kg) in the finals. The pair are scheduled to be in action in their respective semifinals on Friday, May 17.