CBI to investigate wrestler Narsingh Yadav’s doping scandal

Yadav tested positive for banned steroids ahead of the Rio Olympics but the 74-kg category grappler had claimed he was a victim of sabotage and filed an FIR with the Haryana police, alleging

that a wrestler of Dariyapur Kalan, Jitesh, had mixed narcotics and banned substances in his meals and drinks at the SAI Hostel in Sonepat but failed to substantiate his allegations.

Both Yadav and the Wrestling Federation of India had demanded a CBI probe.

"It was alleged that spiking of some restricted material (narcotic) in the meal/water of said international wrestler was to stop his participation in Rio Olympics for which he had qualified," CBI spokesperson Devpreet Singh told reporters on Tuesday after the agency took over the investigation in the case.

India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) gave him the clean chit for the Games after accepting the sabotage hypothesis, but the World Anti-Doping Agency challenged it and CAS slapped a ban on him for flunking the dope test.

However, WADA said if any decision was rendered at a later stage by a criminal court in India, which confirmed the alleged sabotage, then any award made by the ad-hoc panel could be reviewed by the Supreme Court in Switzerland, where the CAS is based.