CHENNAI: In what could turn into another embarrassing moment in Indian sport, months ahead of the Paralympics, one of the country's prominent para-badminton players has apparently been facing suspension over whereabouts failure. It is understood that the matter was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) over three whereabouts failures in 2022 and the matter was pursued by the World Badminton Federation (BWF).
The para-athlete, a Paralympic medallist, apparently missed two tests and one filing failure in the last quarter of 2022. According to BWF anti-doping rule, “2.4 Whereabouts Failures by an Athlete Any combination of three (3) missed tests and/or filing failures, as defined in the International Standard for Results Management, within a twelve (12) month period by an Athlete in a Registered Testing Pool.”
The BWF had apparently informed the player and recorded the three as whereabouts failure in a year and notified the authorities concerned. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), “Athletes commit a missed test whereabouts failure if they are not available to be tested during their 60-minute designated testing window when a doping control officer comes to test them.”
Though there were indications that the CAS has ruled in favour of the world badminton body (BWF) and upheld its decision to penalise the player, sources in the know said it is not a final decision and the player can appeal. The BWF has apparently sought a two-year ban as stipulated in their ADR and the athlete was not provisionally suspended.
If sanctions are upheld or pronounced, this could be another high-profile whereabouts failure by an athlete from the country after quarter-miler turned sprinter Hima Das, wrestler Pooja Dhanda.
The WADA's Operation Carousel had already flagged India's whereabouts inadequacy. "These interviews revealed, inter alia, that the supervision of Whereabouts was inadequate, that there was a lack of sufficient testing, and that NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency's) did not have an effective intelligence or investigative capability," WADA had said in its report.