Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav's participation in the Rio Olympics took a severe hit after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the clean chit that was given to him by India's anti-doping body in August, when he tested positive for a banned substance. If WADA's appeal is upheld by the Court of Arbitration of Sport, the 26-year-old faces a ban of four years from the sport. Yadav is scheduled to begin his Olympics campaign on August 19.
Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that the final hearing on Yadav's participation in the Games will be on August 18. "We are confident that our case is strong during the hearing," he told ANI.
Yadav's case was a long-drawn soap opera, with the National Anti-Doping Agency exonerated him of all charges after he failed to successive doping tests. The NADA committee had then stated that the wrestler was a victim of "sabotage". Yadav, along with his roommate at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi, Sandeep Yadav, had both tested positive for a banned substance and were provisionally suspended. Yadav cried foul, claiming in a police complaint that it was another wrestler who was trying to wreck his chances. During this period, the Indian Olympic Association went ahead and named Parveen Rana as his replacement.