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The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has issued a notice to wrestler Vinesh Phogat for whereabouts failure. The notice, served on Wednesday, seeks an explanation from Phogat within 14 days.As a member of NADA's Registered Testing Pool (RTP), Phogat is required to provide details of her availability for dope tests. If she fails to provide accurate information or is not present at the specified location and time, it is considered a whereabouts failure.According to the notice, Phogat was not available for a dope test on September 9 at her residence in Kharkhoda village, Sonepat. The NADA notice states, "You are hereby given a formal notice to notify you about apparent failure to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the ADR, and to invite you to make any comments before we come to a final decision on the matter."Phogat has the option to accept the failure or provide evidence that she was present at the specified location for approximately 60 minutes. It is important to note that a single whereabouts failure does not constitute an anti-doping rule violation. However, three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period can lead to charges against an athlete.Phogat's whereabouts failure comes at a time when she is actively involved in politics. She recently joined the Congress party and is contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly election from Julana constituency.

India's medal count at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games is set to drop by one after boxer Parveen Hooda was suspended for 22 months for whereabouts failure. Hooda, who won a bronze medal in the women's 57kg weight class, has been stripped of her medal and her results from December 11, 2022, to May 17, 2024, have been disqualified.The suspension stems from Hooda's failure to file her whereabouts three times within a twelve-month period, a violation of the International Boxing Association's anti-doping rules. The International Testing Agency (ITA), which is responsible for results management, handed down the suspension earlier this month.The suspension is a major blow to Hooda, who had earned an Olympic quota for the 2024 Paris Games with her bronze medal performance at the Asian Games. The quota has now been surrendered, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria will fight for the 57kg quota in the final Olympic qualifier, starting in Bangkok on Friday.The suspension is also an embarrassment for Indian boxing, which has been plagued by a series of controversies in recent years. In 2021, the International Boxing Association (IBA) suspended the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for alleged mismanagement and corruption. The suspension was lifted in September 2022, but the BFI remains under scrutiny.Despite the suspension, India's overall medal count at the 2023 Asian Games will remain at 106, which is good enough for fourth place in the overall medal rankings.

India's Olympic medal hopes have suffered a significant setback with the provisional suspension of World Championships bronze medalist Parveen Hooda for Whereabouts Failure. The 26-year-old boxer has accumulated three such failures within a year, violating WADA regulations.Hooda's suspension, which carries a potential two-year ineligibility, has left the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) scrambling for solutions. The federation is in constant communication with the International Boxing Association (IBA) to explore options for reducing the sanction or overturning it altogether. However, there is no precedent for such a reversal.Even if the suspension is reduced to one year, Hooda will lose her Olympic quota in the 57kg category. The berth will likely be awarded to 60kg pugilist Jaismine Lamboria, who has been asked to prepare for the World Olympic Qualifiers in Bangkok.Hooda's coach, Sudhir Hooda, expressed disappointment and frustration, stating that repeated reminders about whereabouts updates were ignored. The BFI has remained tight-lipped on the issue, but secretary general Hemanta Kalita indicated that they are exploring all possible channels to mitigate the situation.Parveen's absence from the Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan, where she was initially listed, raised suspicions about her status. The Asian Games bronze medalist is currently at her home in Rohtak, Haryana.The Whereabouts Failure violation highlights the importance of athletes adhering to anti-doping regulations. Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool are required to provide accurate and timely information about their location to facilitate out-of-competition testing. Failure to do so can result in severe consequences, as Parveen has unfortunately discovered.

Star Indian sprinter Hima Das is set to make her long-awaited return to the track at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The 24-year-old was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) last year for three whereabouts failures in 12 months. However, a NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel cleared her to compete again last month.Das's return is a major boost for Indian athletics. She is a former Asian Games silver medalist in the 400m and was part of the gold and silver-winning women's 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay quartets in Jakarta in 2018. She was not named in the Hangzhou Asian Games team last year due to an injury.Das last ran a race in April 2022, when she won a gold in the 200m at the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru. She missed the entire 2023 season due to injury.Das's whereabouts failures came to light in September last year. Under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, any combination of three whereabouts failures within a period of 12 months constitute an anti-doping rule violation. Athletes included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must provide full address for their overnight location, the name and full address of each location where they train, work or conduct other regular scheduled activities, as well as the usual time-frames of each activity. RTP athletes must also identify a 60-minute window and location for each day of the quarter, during which they must be available for testing. Failure to comply with whereabouts and testing obligations will result in a whereabouts failure.Das has faced a maximum two-year ban if proven guilty, which can be reduced to a minimum of one year depending on the degree of her fault. However, the NADA disciplinary panel cleared her to compete again, and she is now set to make her return at the Indian Grand Prix 1.