The doping scandal in Indian athletics just got murkier with a 17-year-old wrestler reportedly admitting that he spiked the food of his senior Narsingh Yadav, which led to the 26-year-old's failed dope test. Yadav's A-sample had tested positive, according to the National Anti Doping Agency, after which he cried foul and said it was a conspiracy to prevent him from participating in the Rio Olympics.
Yadav has lodged a police complaint against the accused teenager and is reported to be seeking legal advice. The teenager was a trainee alongside Yadav at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi and had participated in junior-level tournaments. For Yadav to be exonerated, the teenager needs to confess to sabotaging the Varanasi-born freestyle wrestler's Olympic prospects.
While there is a chance that Yadav will be cleared as early as Wednesday, his participation in the Rio Olympics, which begin on August 5, is still unclear. The Indian Olympic Association has already named Parveen Rana as his replacement in the 74 kg category.
Yadav's rival in the weight category and two-time Olympic medal winner, Sushil Kumar, also trains at the Chhatrasal Stadium. After Kumar did not win a quota spot for Rio, he unsuccessfully moved the Delhi High Court seeking a trial between him and Yadav. Kumar's coach has rubbished the allegations against his pupil as "baseless". There is, however, no chance that Kumar will take Yadav's spot at Rio.