Asian and World Championships bronze medalist Parveen Hooda’s 1.5-year ban may be a blow to India’s chance of getting a medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics, but for other Indian women pugilists, it could be a blessing in disguise. The 24-year-old had already secured a quota in the 57kg category, but after three whereabouts failures in 12 months, she has been banned by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).
Parveen Hooda to contest ban
However, Parveen hasn’t accepted that ban, which will force her out of competition from May 2024 to November 25. Following WADA’s ruling, her legal counsel released a statement. It read:
“The failure arose on account of Ms. Hooda lacking the ability and technical know-how required for operating the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) platform, owing to which a gap arose in Ms. Hooda being able to fill her whereabouts information accurately and consistently. Ms. Hooda’s failure to comply in the present instance arose solely on account of her lack of knowledge and technical understanding of the ADAMS platform.”
Olympics
Meanwhile, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has accepted the suspension and is looking forward to finding out who’ll be Parveen Hooda’s replacement at the Paris 2024 Olympics. BFI President, Ajay Singh, said:
“While it’s regrettable that Parveen won’t be able to compete for India and will be serving the suspension, I am happy that we were able to at least reduce the suspension period and she will be back in the ring soon. I also extend my gratitude to all who contributed to securing India’s continued representation in this weight category for the Paris Olympics.”
Indian pugilists at the Paris 2024 Olympics
So far, only three Indian pugilists have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics: Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). Originally, Parveen was also included in the list, which has no Indian male boxer.
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