India to contest for Paris Olympic quota after suspension of Parveen Hooda

New Delhi: India will seek to regain the Paris 2024 Olympics quota in women’s 57kg boxing after Parveen Hooda was suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for whereabouts failures.Hooda had initially secured the quota for India by winning a bronze medal at the Asian Games last year.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Saturday said they have declined the quota spot won by Hooda, allowing India to compete at the upcoming World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Bangkok next week.However, only boxers registered as reserves before April 11 are eligible to participate, limiting India to contenders in the 60kg and 66kg categories.

Hooda’s suspension spans 22 months, starting from September last year and ending in July 2025, due to her failure to accurately and consistently report her whereabouts to the Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS).According to the ITA, the suspension was initially proposed to be 24 months but was reduced by two months following a review.

In response to the suspension, BFI Secretary-General Hemanta Kalita highlighted their proactive communication with the ITA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), emphasising the unintentional nature of Parveen's actions, particularly given her father's terminal illness.

Vidushpat Singhania, Parveen's legal counsel, explained that the failure was due to her lack of technical know-how required to operate the ADAMS platform.

Despite this setback, India has already secured three boxing quotas for Paris 2024, with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (women's 75kg), two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) earning spots.

The final decision on athlete representation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games lies with the National Olympic Committees (NOC), which have the exclusive authority to select athletes for their respective delegations.(UNI)<>