Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A day after six Indian wrestlers’ B samples tested positive for dope, India coach Jagminder Singh came out in open defence of his wards, saying that the wrestlers must have taken the banned substance unknowingly.
“The wrestlers must have taken the banned substance unknowingly,” he said.Earlier on Monday, the six dope tainted wrestlers who last week had caused a major embarrassment to the country less than a month ahead of the Commonwealth Games after failling tests conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency.
The `A` samples of the six wrestlers taken by NADA at Commonwealth Games trials had tested positive for stimulant methylhexanamine, which was added as a banned substance only this year by World Anti-Doping Agency.
Their `B` samples also tested positive in NADA tests conducted on Saturday, sources said.
"All the six wrestlers have returned positive for methylhexanamine in the tests conducted on Saturday," the source said.
"As per the WADA Rules, they will appear before NADA Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel headed by a retired Sessions Judge. This panel will decide on sanction to be given to them," he said.
Four of them -- men`s freestyle wrestlers Rajiv Tomar (120kg), Sumit (74kg) and Mausam Khatri (96kg) and women`s freestyle wrestler Gursharanpreet Kaur (72kg) -- were removed from the Commonwealth Games squad.
Rahul Mann (60kg) and Joginder Singh (120kg) were the other two wrestlers.
Three-time national champion Tomar was last month conferred Arjuna Award.
It is learnt that shot putter Saurabh Vij, who was in the Commonwealth Games squad, and discus thrower Akash Antil have not yet turned up for their `B` sample testing.
They have seven days from September 1, the date of announcement of the result.
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