Who is Parveen Hooda? All you need to know about the Indian boxer suspended from competing at Paris Olympics 2024
Parveen Hooda is India's 23-year-old boxer in the 57 Kgs division. Born in Rurki Village, Rohtak, Haryana, Parveen has slowly risen through the ranks and has done immensely well for India on the global stage. She has also seen a time in her life when her family had no money to buy her boxing gloves.
Things took a huge turn for Parveen at the age of 11 when the sarpanch of her village started a boxing academy to deal with the drug problem in the village. Parveen, highly inspired by Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, started her training at the boxing academy.
In the year 2019, Parveen made headlines when she defeated Sarita Devi in domestic trials. The win over Sarita gave her the confidence for the South Asian Games where she clinched her first gold for the country.
She continued her rhythm in the 2022 World Championships in Turkey and won a bronze medal for India. Her second gold medal came in the same year at the Asian Championships in Jordan in 2022.
Why is Parveen Hooda suspended from competing at the Paris Olympics 2024?
Parveen Hooda has been suspended from competing in the Paris Olympics 2024. The decision was taken by the International Testing Agency as the boxer failed to file her whereabouts for the period between April 2022 and March 2023.
Parveen Hooda was also stripped of the Asian Games medal by the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. It is a piece of devastating news for the Boxer as she will stay away from the sport till July 2025.
According to the International Testing Agency, if an athlete fails to provide their whereabouts for a particular time, the consequences can lead to suspension.
It sometimes becomes difficult for the players to file their whereabouts but accurate and complete information is needed for smooth functioning. Whereabouts information is critical information that keeps a regular check on the player.
Whereabouts information is also important to do a no-notice, out-of-competition testing on the player, according to the rules of the anti-doping program. This no-notice, out-of-competition testing helps keep the sport clean and fair judgment at the end.
Parveen Hooda won't be seen in the ring for another year and that has made things difficult for India in the Paris Olympics 2024. As of now, India has a team of boxers which includes two men - Amit Panghal in 51kg and Nishant Dev in 71kg, and four women - Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jasmine Lamboria (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg).