Zeenews Sports Bureau
New Delhi: Olympian Vijender Singh has been dropped from tournaments in Cyprus and Cuba, Boxing Federation said on Saturday.
This is being seen as a consequence of Vijender missing the trial camp being held in Patiala.In an interview given to a leading news channel, the Vice President of Boxing Federation, Nivaran Mukherjee had said that trials are necessary for further selection and that he will not qualify if he does not join the trials.
"Vijender is not out of the team, but he will not participate in the tournaments in Cyprus and Cuba. For the time being we will not consider him," IABF President Abhishek Matoria said.
"He is an Olympic hero. It is upto him to decide which events he wants to take part. At the moment, his training has taken a blow because of the drug controversy," he said.
"I have been in constant touch with Vijender and he has assured me that he is not involved in the drug scandal. He has told me that he will come out clean from the enquiry," added Matoria.
"At the moment, Vijender is under severe pressure. He is hopeful of being given a clean chit in the next 10 days or so. And then he will get back to boxing. Vijender is very much an important part of Indian boxing fraternity," he said.
Vijender has extended his leave three times already through NIS authorities but his latest leave extension application for two weeks was forwarded to SAI.
Punjab Police had said on Friday that the Olympian has not been let off in the multi crore drug haul. The police also made it clear that a dope test conducted by NADA will not be accepted as it has no legal validity.
Vijender’s name had cropped up in a massive drug haul where the police had recovered 26 kg of heroin, estimated around Rs Rs 130 crore, from NRI Kahlon`s house in Shivalik Vihar in Zirakpur on March 7. A car belonging to Vijender`s wife Archana was found by the police near the NRI`s house.
Anoop Singh Kahlon, the NRI arrested in the drug haul, had confessed to have sold heroin to Vijender Singh and his sparring partner Ram Singh.
With PTI inputs
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.