Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a two-time World Championships medallist, has been served a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing to provide information about her whereabouts.
According to the Tribune, a NADA official visited Vinesh's registered address in Partap Colony, Sonipat on June 27. However, Vinesh was not present and could not be reached via phone. Despite the Dope Control Officer's attempts to contact her for over 40 minutes, there was no response from Vinesh or her husband, Somvir Rathee.
NADA has asked Vinesh to explain her non-compliance with the whereabouts requirements outlined in the Anti-Doping Rules (ADR).
Athletes included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to regularly update their whereabouts information on the Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS) every three months. This information includes their address, email, phone number, work schedule, and training venues. Vinesh has been part of the RTP since December 2022.
Vinesh has a 14-day period to respond to the notice. It is worth noting that this is her first whereabouts failure in the past 12 months. According to anti-doping regulations, three failures within a 12-month period would constitute a violation and could result in a two-year suspension.
Interestingly, Vinesh is not the only Indian wrestler to receive such a notice. Pooja Dhanda, a bronze medallist at the World Championships, has also had three whereabouts failures within the last 12 months. Dhanda recorded consecutive failures in July, October, and December 2022.
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