New Delhi: Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months by the International Testing Agency (ITA) after she tested positive for higenamine, a prohibited substance.
"The ITA confirms that Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months, effective until 10 July 2023 after testing positive for higenamine (S3. Beta-2 Agonists as per the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list). The positive sample was collected on behalf of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) in the scope of an out-of-competition control on 11 October 2021," the anti-doping body said in a statement.
"The case was resolved via a case resolution agreement pursuant to article 10.8.2 of the FIG Anti-Doping Rules (FIG ADR, and equivalent provision in the World Anti-Doping Code). The athlete’s results have been disqualified from 11 October 2021 onwards," the statement further added.
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Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) President Sudhir Mittal, who was ignorant after Dipa was put in the "suspended" category by the FIG had then said that he had not received any communication from the FIG regarding her suspension. Karmakar herself and her coach Bisheshwar Nandi kept quiet at that time.
Dipa made history, finishing fourth in the women's vault final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, missing bronze by a narrow margin. She scored 15.066 points -- just .150 less than Switzerland's Giulia Steingruber who scored 15.216 to win bronze. Dipa's outstanding feat raised the profile of gymnastics in India, but off-the-field events seem to have affected on-field progress.
The Tripura gymnast was the first Indian female to make the cut for the Olympics after 52 years -- after the Indian men's team had competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. (With Agency inputs)
