Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav was ousted from the Olympics and slapped with a four-year ban for flunking a dope test after Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) overturned the clean chit given to him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed against the NADA all-clear to Narsingh at CAS, three days ahead of his scheduled opening bout at the Olympics.
The verdict marked a painful end to the sordid controversy which began with the wrestler failing a June 25 test.
The 27-year-old Narsingh Yadav was to take on France’s Zelimkhan Khadjiev in the qualification round but the CAS verdict has dashed all his hopes.
Narsingh Yadav has maintained all along that his scandalous dope test was a result of conspiracy by rivals who spiked his food or drinks.
Narsingh had earlier got clearance from National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) despite testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid. NADA’s logic was that he intentionally did not take the banned substance, during his stay at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre, Sonepat.
However, the decision was challenged by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as they appealed against it in CAS.
Yadav is the fourth athlete to be kicked out of the Rio Olympic Games for failing a dope test.
Brazilian cyclist Kleber Ramos and Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi were disqualified for the banned blood booster EPO Cera and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide respectively.
Kyrgyzstani weightlifter Izzat Artykov, who won bronze in the men’s under-69kg category, was banned after testing positive for strychnine, a stimulant.