In June 2023 the India National Anti-Doping Agency (INADA) reported an anti-doping rule violation against the wrestler Pooja Dhanda. INADA contended the Athlete had 3 Whereabouts Failures within a 12 month period:
- a Filing Failure for July-September 2022;
- a Filing Failure October-December 2022; and
- a Filing Failure / Missed Test on 21 December 2022.
Following notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in her defence and she was heard for the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of India (ADDPI).
The Athlete denied the charges and requested for a reduced sanction. She asserted that she timely had submitted her Whereabouts for Q4-2022.
She acknowledged the Missed Test on 21 December 2022. Nevertheless she was available for sample collection and alternatively on the same day she provided a sample.
The Athlete claimed that there had been substantial delays in the notification of her Whereabouts Failures. Further she alleged that she was hampered by technical problems when she attempted to enter her Whereabouts in ADAMS.
The Panel finds that 3 Whereabouts Failures had been established and accordingly that the Athlete had committed an anti-doping rule violation. The Panel deems that she acted with a light degree of fault.
Therefore the ADDPI decided on 5 December 2023 to impose a 1 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the dat of the Provisional suspension, i.e. on 15 June 2023.
