Can Narsingh Yadav still go to Rio 2016 Olympics?

Narsingh’s primary argument has been his food or water had been tampered with and it was a sabotage to stop from going to Rio. His lawyers appealed under article 10.4 of World Anti Doping Agency’s 2016 Code, which reads: “If an Athlete or other Person establishes in an individual case that he or she bears No Fault or Negligence, then the otherwise applicable period of Ineligibility shall be eliminated.
They will only apply in exceptional circumstances, for example, where an Athlete could prove that, despite all due care, he or she was sabotaged by a competitor.” Narsingh and his lawyers were able to convince the panel that this was a case of sabotage and hence he was exonerated.

How did he prove the sabotage theory?

Narsingh identified a 17-year-old cadet wrestler whom he suspected of spiking his drink during training. A police complaint was filed. Cooks of Sonepat SAI Centre – where Narsingh was training – too were summoned by NADA panel.

Apart from that, Narsingh convinced the panel that he had taken all due care of his food, water and supplements but argued it was tough for him to keep an eye on it while he was training. He also maintained the sabotage took place on June 23 or 24. He was in Bulgaria from June 7 to 22 for a national camp but insisted they were very closely monitored for him to indulge in any of these things.

WATCH: Narsingh gets clean chit. What next?

Can he go to Olympics?

Narsingh and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) are ‘hopeful.’ On July 25, WFI named Praveen Rana as the replacement for Narsingh in the 74-kg category. Since Narsingh was provisionally suspended, India would have lost the spot if they wouldn’t have chosen an alternate.

However, WFI president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh said they had informed United World Wrestling (UWW) that if Narsingh is cleared of the charges, he would be the first choice. UWW hadn’t okayed that bit, though. Emails were sent to them on Monday informing them of the latest developments. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) naming replacements is the prerogative of the National Olympic Committee, which in this case is the Indian Olympic Association. India’s chef de mission for the Rio Games said he has already begun the process of Narsingh’s registration for the Games.

Will the drug still be in his body?

To ensure the drug isn’t there in his body any more, Narsingh will have to go through another dope test. Only if he clears that will he be allowed to board the flight to Rio.