Canadian Olympic wrestler Amar Dhesi suspended 2 years for anti-doping whereabouts rule violation

Olympic wrestler Amarveer Dhesi has been suspended for two years for an anti-doping rule violation, Sport Integrity Canada announced Thursday.

The independent body said the 30-year-old had three confirmed whereabouts failures during a 12-month period.

Dhesi appealed the decision, but an arbitrator confirmed the violation last month and imposed a ban through March 30, 2028, following a provisional suspension.

The Surrey, B.C., product is ineligible to participate in any capacity with signatories to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program or the World Anti-Doping Code, including coaching or training with teammates, during the sanction period, Sport Integrity Canada said in a statement.

The whereabouts program requires athletes to submit timely and accurate information for the purpose of locating them for out-of-competition testing without advance notice, Sport Integrity Canada added.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion competed at the last two Olympics for Canada, finishing 13th in the men's 125-kilogram event in Tokyo before placing ninth in the same weight class in Paris.