NADA Issues Notice To Vinesh Phogat, Seeks Response In Two Weeks

The National Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday issued a notice to ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat for "apparent failure" to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the Anti-Doping Rules, and give her two weeks to respond. Notably, Vinesh was among the wrestlers who protested against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, against whom allegations of sexual harassment were made. The reigning Asian Games champion Phogat was also supposed to be making her return to competitive wrestling at the Budapest Ranking Series 2023 starting from Thursday, as per Olympics.com.

"I am writing to give you formal notice to notify you of your apparent failure to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the ADR, and to invite you to make any comments before we come to a final decision on the matter. Please read this letter carefully, as it may have serious consequences for you,' said the notice from NADA.

"By email dated 08-March-2022 & 12-December-2022, we advised you that you have been included in our Registered Testing Pool, and therefore that under the ADR you are required to make a whereabouts filing at the beginning of each quarter, providing certain specified information about your whereabouts each day in the forthcoming quarter, and are further required to be available for testing at those declared whereabouts, in accordance with the International Standard for Result

Management (ISRM) Article B.2.4," added the notice.

The notice also said that Vinesh had declared to be available for testing at Sonipat, Haryana in her recent Whereabouts Filing on June 27 at 10:00 PM.

"We sent Doping Control Officers ("DCOs") to test you on that day at that time and place. However, the DCO was unable to locate you for