Pooja Dhanda, an accomplished Indian wrestler who has received honors from around the world, has been placed on a one-year suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for three instances of failed whereabouts testing. The case’s specifics and its consequences are discussed in this article.
Pooja
Problems with Location and NADA Rules:
To maintain clean competition and compliance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NAD) of India (NASA) was founded in 2005 and is in charge of testing athletes.
During the year, elite athletes like Pooja who are part of the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to give a 60-minute window in which they could be tested.
Any noncompliance with these responsibilities is considered a whereabouts failure; a suspension will be imposed after three such failures within a 12-month period.
Case of Pooja
- Two filing failures and one missed test were documented against Pooja in 2022 by NADA.
- There were inconsistencies in the submitted location updates that led to the filing failures.
- While en route to the national wrestling championships in December of 2022, the test was missed.
- Despite Pooja’s claims that she provided sufficient notice by suggesting alternative testing times and places, NADA rejected her.
The Effects of Disciplinary Actions
- On December 5, 2023, Pooja was banned for one year after the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of NADA found her guilty of three whereabouts failures.
- The suspension was enforced with effect from June 15, 2023, backwards.
- Because of this, Pooja will not be able to participate in any training camps or tournaments until June 14, 2024.
Results & Consequences of Pooja’s Work
There is a good chance that Pooja’s training and readiness for future competitions may be affected by this suspension, which has a major influence on her career trajectory.
In spite of the punishment, Pooja deserves praise for her stellar performance, which included winning silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, bronze at the 2018 World Championships, and silver in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
