Dipa Karmakar's ban term will end on July 10, this year, as it was calculated from the day the sample was collected...
Digital Desk: Dipa Karmakar, a star gymnast, has been banned for 21 months after failing a dope test administered by the International Testing Agency, despite statements made by Indian officials that her "suspension" last year was unrelated to doping violations.
The ITA, an independent organisation that oversees the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) anti-doping programme, discovered Higenamine in Karmakar's dope sample, which is a forbidden chemical under the World Anti-Doping Agency Code.
Her ban term, however, will end on July 10, this year, as it was calculated from the day the sample was collected (October 11, 2021).
"The ITA notifies that Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months, effective until 10 July 2023, after testing positive for higenamine (S3. Beta-2 Agonists as per the World Anti-Doping Agency forbidden list")," the ITA stated late Friday in a statement.
"On 11 October 2021, a positive sample was obtained on behalf of FIG as part of an out-of-competition control," it added. The non-profit organisation established in Switzerland works under the supervision of WADA and the International Olympic Committee to implement anti-doping programmes for various international federations.
According to ITA, Karmakar's doping issue was settled through a case settlement agreement following article 10.8.2 of the FIG Anti-Doping Rules and an equivalent clause in the WADA. "The athlete's results have been voided beginning October 11, 2021."
Karmakar, who gained recognition after finishing fourth in the vault event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has been plagued by problems since undergoing surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2017.
Her most recent FIG competition was the 2019 World Cup in Baku. The suspension on Karmakar flies in the face of both her and the Gymnastic Federation of India authorities, who have been claiming ignorance since the FIG placed her in the "suspended" category in February of last year.
Sudhir Mittal, president of the GFI, subsequently stated that he had not received any notification from the FIG regarding her suspension. Karmakar and her coach, Bisheshwar Nandi, remained silent at the time.
Other GFI officials went so far as to explain that the "suspended" status could be due to ethical or disciplinary reasons unrelated to a doping infraction.
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