On September 25, 2024, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) issued a whereabouts failure notice to retired wrestler Vinesh Phogat. The NADA officials asked Vinesh to provide an explanation within 14 days following her absence during a scheduled dope test on September 9, 2024. The wrestler recently took retirement after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being overweight by 100 grams on the morning of the finals and remains part of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP).
The athletes who are part of the RTP need to give detailed information about their location for doping tests, which helps DADA conduct random drug tests. If the athlete is not present at the location they have provided for the test, it is called a “whereabouts failure.” However, according to the NADA’s rule, athletes must have three whereabouts failures within 12 months before any action is taken.
According to NADA’s notice, the Dope Control Officer visited Vinesh’s home in Kharkhoda village, Haryana, on September 9, 2024, to collect her samples. However, she was not present at her given location at the scheduled time.
“You are hereby given a formal notice to notify you about the 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. A Dope Control Officer (DCO) was sent to test you on that day at that time and place. However, he was unable to locate you for testing as you were not available at the given location.” the NADA notice read, according to PTI.
However, this is Vinesh’s first failure, and according to NADA’s rules, she needs to miss three tests in a year to face the action. Vinesh Phogat recently announced her retirement from sports on 8th August 2024. Despite this, she is still part of NADA’s testing pool because she has not yet been officially removed. Now she needs to accept the whereabouts failure or provide proof of her availability at her given location during the scheduled time within 14 days.