Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia suspended by NADA once again

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has once again suspended Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, reinstating a provisional ban on Sunday, June 23. This move comes after a previous suspension was overturned by a disciplinary panel due to procedural issues. However, NADA has now issued a notice of charge against Punia, leading to his current suspension.

The suspension is related to an incident during the trials in Sonipat on March 10, where Bajrang allegedly refused to provide his urine sample for doping analysis, resulting in a violation of doping rules.

NADA's notice to Bajrang outlined the sequence of events, stating, "Chaperone/DCO had duly approached you and informed you that you were required to provide a urine sample for dope analysis purposes. Even after several requests made by the DCO, you had refused to provide your urine sample..."

Bajrang has until July 11 to respond to the notice and present his side of the story. His lawyer, Vishuspath Singania, confirmed receiving the notice and expressed their intention to respond. "Yes, we have received the notice and will certainly respond to it. He hasn't done anything wrong, so we will fight," stated Singania to India Today.