A one-year doping ban on India’s star boxer and former Asian silver medalist Sumit Sangwan has been lifted. In a hearing held by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on Monday, Sangwan proved that he had inadvertently consumed a banned substance.
An Indian Boxing Federation official said,
“Sumit has been cleared and his ban lifted as he has convinced the NADA panel that the diuretic he tested positive for was a case of unintentional intake.”
It is to be noted that Sangwan was banned for a year after he was found guilty of consuming Acetazolamide, listed as a diuretic and masking agent under World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2019 Prohibited List.
Sangwan, after hearing that the verdict was in his favour, said,
“I feel relieved, a huge weight has been reduced from my shoulders. I knew that I was not wrong. I’m glad I was able to prove myself.”
Sangwan further added that he proved himself innocent by submitting my medical report to the NADA panel. He said that he was able to summit all the evidence in the first hearing itself.
Sangwan, however, had earlier said that he had taken medication for eye infections on the advice of a doctor. He said,
“I had taken this medicine only when I could not even open my eyes due to pain. If I had been in an eye-opening situation, I probably would have known what medication I was taking. I believed the doctor.”
He said,
“At that time my liver (liver) had become much larger than usual due to which this drug could not come out of my body in seven days and on the 13th day of its consumption it was also found in my sample.”
However, the 27-year-old boxer, who was a part of the 2012 Olympics, will not be able to participate in this year’s Tokyo Olympics as he missed the trial after the ban.
To this the star pugilist said,
“I will ask the federation to involve myself in the national camp. I was the national champion when all this happened. I must get back to camp.”
Sangwan’s sample was taken on 10 October, with diuretics and ‘masking agent traces’ found.
