India celebrated when gymnast Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in the Rio Olympics 2016. The result was a history in itself considering India's record in gymnastics as well as the difficulty of the Produnova vault she attempted. She became to a dear to the hearts of sports fans across the nation. She was awarded Khel Ratna award and was greeted with warmth everywhere. After a long period of absence from competitions, it is reported now that the gymnast is currently under a suspension for violating anti-doping rules. ‘Dipa Karmakar: The Small Wonder’ Bags Biography of the Year

In March 2022, news broke out in the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) site that Dipa was 'suspended' alongside 12 fellow athletes, but the reason was yet to be known. Reports now confirm the athlete is currently suspended and serving a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation under the whereabouts rule. As per reports, Dipa has been suspended since the second half of 2021 for skipping the whereabouts guidelines as mandated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Speaking to The Tribune, Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) president Sudhir Mittal claimed he was unaware of any suspension. “I am not aware that Dipa is currently under suspension. We have not received any mail in this regard,” Mittal said today. However, the Delhi Gymnastics Association (DGA) has raised Dipa’s issue in its complaint to the FIG. “There is no disciplinary action against Ms Dipa Karmakar who failed to cooperate with the doping test conducted by WADA. The matter has to be referred to disciplinary commission for action against her and her parent state member,” DGA secretary general Ram Dulare wrote to the FIG president, seeking an ethics commission enquiry against Mittal and other office-bearers for several wrongdoings. Dipa Karmakar Birthday Special: 8 Lesser-Known Facts About the Indian Gymnast You Need To Know.

Officials in SAI (Sports Authority of India) and NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) are unhappy with the conduct of Bisheshwar Nandi, Dipa's childhood coach, also the India Women's Team Coach, as it was his job to file Dipa’s whereabouts on the Anti-Doping Administration Management System.

As per WADA rules, “any combination of 3 whereabouts failures (filing failure and/or missed test) within a period of 12 months constitute an anti-doping rule violation, for which the applicable sanction is 2 years’ ineligibility subject to a reduction to a minimum of 1 year depending on your degree of fault.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2022 09:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).