Judoka Tulika Maan provisionally suspended from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
The 27-year-old from Delhi is the second judoka to have been withdrawn from Glasgow CWG. On Thursday, Arun Kumar, who competes in the men's -73kg category, was pulled out of the Games after failing an out-of-competition dope test
XtraTime Newsdesk: Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medal winner and judoka Tulika Maan has been withdrawn from the ongoing Glasgow edition of the Games after being handed a provisional ban by the National Anti Doping Agency for three whereabout failures within the last 12 months. Tulika Maan had won silver in the +78kg category in the 2022 edition and was a strong medal prospect in Glasgow as well. She now stares at a two-year ban as a punishment.
"She has committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period and NADA has sent notice to her. So, she will be withdrawn from the team," a judo coach told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The 27-year-old from Delhi is the second judoka to have been withdrawn from Glasgow CWG. On Thursday, Arun Kumar, who competes in the men's -73kg category, was pulled out of the Games after failing an out-of-competition dope test. He was handed a provisional suspension by the NADA for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Maan is one of the top judokas in the country. She represented her nation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was eliminated in the round of 32. She also competed in the 2022 and 2024 world championships.
The Indian judo squad has not yet travelled for the Games, since their competitive schedule begins on July 31. The judokas are slated to depart on July 27. India had initially approved a 14-member judo squad, with seven men and an equal number of women. The country won three medals in the previous Commonwealth Games. They got two medals: two silvers and a bronze.
According to World Athletics Anti-Doping (WADA) guidelines, any combination of three whereabouts failures (filing failure and/or missing test) within 12 months constitutes an anti-doping rule infraction.
Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must enter the entire address for their overnight location, the name and full address of each site where they train, work, or do other regularly planned activities, and the customary time range for each activity.
RTP athletes must additionally designate a 60-minute timeframe and location for each day of the quarter when they must be available for testing.
Failure to comply with whereabouts and testing requirements results in a whereabouts failure.