Dipa Karmakar announces settlement of doping case, suspension reduced

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has announced the resolution of her dispute with the international federation over a provisional suspension for a positive test for ingestion of a banned substance in October 2021 and she will be back in action in July 2023.

Dipa had to take a provisional suspension when her sample from an out-of-competition test had returned positive for a banned substance which she "unknowingly ingested and could not determine the source of".

"I am happy that the matter has been amicably resolved. My suspension has been reduced by three months and back-dated by 25 months, allowing me to return to the sport I love in July 2023," Dipa informed in a tweet on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Dipa, who had caught national attention in 2016 by reaching the final in the vault at the Rio Olympic Games -- the first Indian gymnast to do so, and eventually finished fourth, missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as she could not qualify due to an injury and cancellation of the Asian Championship.

Her plans to prepare for the 2022 season and the Commonwealth and Asian Games were hampered by the doping suspension.

"In October 2021, my sample was obtained for out-of-competition testing and sent for assessment. The result was positive for a banned substance which I unknowingly ingested and could not determine the source of. I decided to take a provisional suspension with the hope of a swift resolution with the international federation," she wrote.

The star gymnast from Tripura also denied reports that she was under a two-year suspension over a whereabouts violation.

"Multiple media reports have speculated that I was under a 2-year suspension for failing to inform WADA of my whereabouts through the Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS). However, I would like to clarify that these are false and inaccurate and do not reveal the true facts and nature of the matter." Dipa Karmakar informed.

With the suspension set to end in July 2023, Dipa may not have enough time to qualify for the Asian Games in September this year but she can definitely attempt to make it to next year's Paris Olympics.

However, she will have to sort out the issues with her coaching staff as they did not prevent her from inadvertently ingesting a banned substance. The coach and other support staff should have monitored what she was taking as this was an out-of-competition test.

--IANS

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