Discus thrower Gagandeep to be stripped of National Games gold medal for doping
Since Gagandeep Singh accepted their offences within 20 days of being charged, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) handed them sentences that was reduced by one year.
New Delhi: National Games discus throw gold medallist Gagandeep Singh is among several athletes who received three-year bans for doping on Monday.
Since the athletes accepted their offences within 20 days of being charged, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) handed them sentences that was reduced by one year.
Singh won gold for Services with a best throw of 55.01m on February 12 at the National Games held in Uttarakhand and subsequently tested positive for testosterone metabolites.
He was initially handed a provisional suspension and now will be stripped off his National Games gold medal with Haryana's Nirbhay Singh getting upgraded to gold from silver.
The 30-year-old Singh's ban period began from February 19 this year as his duration of punishment was reduced under NADA's "case resolution agreement" as per Article 10.8 and 8.3 of Anti-Doping Rule 2021.
Reduced sentences
Sachin Kumar and Jainu Kumar were the other two athletes who exercised the same provision to reduce their ban sentences. Sachin's three-year ban period has begun from February 10 while Jainu's began on February 20.
Judokas Monika Choudhary, Nandani Vats, para powerlifters Umeshpal Singh and Samuel Vanlaltanpuia, weightlifter Kavinder, kabaddi player Shubham Kumar, wrestler Mugali Sharma, wushu players Aman and Rahul Tomar and one minor wrestler are the other sportspersons, who received three-year bans.
NADA had placed most of these players under provisional suspension earlier this year.
As per the article athletes can get reduced sentences from a maximum ban of four years for "results management agreements" based on early admission and acceptance of sanction.
If athletes admit to violation and accept the penalty within 20 days of being charged, provisions in the article allows athletes who are charged with a four-year ban to get their sentence reduced by a year.
Athletes also have an opportunity to enter into a case resolution agreement with NADA and World Anti-Doping Agency as per another provision in the article where the period of ineligibility is agreed upon based on the facts of the case.