Bajrang Punia calls NADA arrogant, says he is being targetted

NEW DELHI: Bajrang Punia, a renowned wrestler, accused NADA on Monday of unfairly targeting him as retaliation for his criticism of their flawed procedures. The athlete pledged to confront the agency's perceived arrogance, asserting that NADA is determined to destroy his athletic career.
On June 24, Bajrang faced his second suspension by NADA, following a brief reprieve granted by the organization's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP).
The ADDP had previously lifted the initial suspension, citing NADA's failure to formally charge the wrestler with doping violations through an official notice. Subsequently, NADA proceeded to issue the required notice to the Tokyo Games medalist, resulting in his second suspension.
"This shows how NADA is targeting me, they don't want me to continue wrestling at any cost," Bajrang posted on X.
Bajrang Punia, a renowned wrestler, faced suspension due to his decision not to submit a sample during the selection trials conducted in Sonepat on March 10. As a consequence of losing the trials, he was unable to secure a spot for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
The accomplished wrestler, who has earned numerous medals at the World Championships, asserted that he did not outright refuse to provide a sample. Instead, he sought clarification regarding NADA's use of an expired kit for sample collection back in December 2023.
In a lengthy post, the 30-year-old athlete reiterated his inquiry, seeking an explanation for the use of the expired kit.
"They have no answers and they don't want to take responsibility for their mistakes. They just want to harass the athlete to get rid of him.
"NADA doesn't want anyone to question their wrong ways and if someone does, he is targeted so that he cannot continue his sport.
"Why doesn't NADA answer about the expired kit? Why doesn't NADA answer how an unregistered chaperone who was not named in the mission order approached and pressured me for sample collection?
"Why doesn't NADA answer why I was pressured to collect samples between two matches when they knew I had only 20 minutes to prepare for the next bout," said Bajrang.
Bajrang said he won't go down without a fight.
"If NADA wants to challenge the grit and determination of wrestlers to stand up for their rights for the sake of their arrogance, let them do it. The wrestler is here and will fight till the end. My lawyer will file his reply on time," he wrote.
Bajrang has until July 11 to either request a hearing or accept the charge brought against him. He must decide his course of action within this timeframe.