FIG identifies Dipa Karmakar as 'suspended' gymnast, national body has no clue about reason

Karmakar is currently identified as "suspended" in the International Gymnastics Federation's (FiG) website, a development that has left the national body flummoxed which says there has been no official communication from the world body. Among the various Indian gymnasts listed in the FIG website, the 28-year-old Karmakar is marked as "suspended" while the others are shown as "active" against their respective names. The 'biography' section of the athletes in the FIG website also shows Karmakar as a "suspended" gymnast.

There was no immediate clarity on what the "suspended" status meant for Karmakar, who rose into limelight after her stupendous fourth-place finish in the vault event in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has not been competing since 2019. The Gymnastic Federation of India is clueless about the development.

"We have not received any communication from the FIG regarding Dipa's suspension. I don't know what the reason is or whether it is true. There has been no communication so let's wait," GFI president Sudhir Mittal told PTI.

"Unless there is any communication from the FIG I won't be able to comment on anything." Karmakar herself, who is currently at her home in Agartala, and her coach Bisheshwar Nandi did not respond to calls. Another official of the GFI said that "suspended" status could be due to other issues, not related to doping violations. "It can be due to ethical issues regarding a gymnast or the disciplinary committee of the FIG takes a decision based on disciplinary matter.

It does not always mean that suspension is doping related," the official said. Karmakar's name is not there in the anti-doping section of the FIG website though the information was last updated in September 2021. Also, from 2019