CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Sports / Boxing

Indian star tests negative after heroin charge

Published: 18 Apr 2013 - 12:19 am | Last Updated: 02 Feb 2022 - 11:17 am

NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh was yesterday cleared by the Indian sports ministry of using banned substances following a police charge that he consumed heroin.

But Vijender, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, remains out of the Indian squad for upcoming tournaments in Cyprus and Cuba pending the completion of police investigations against him.

The 27-year-old gave blood and urine samples to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) earlier this month, with the test results on him and four other boxers returning negative.

“A full menu test was conducted which included testing for psychotropic substances. Tests were only carried out on blood and urine samples,” the sports ministry said in a statement here yesterday.

“The ministry is glad to announce that on the basis of these tests none of the boxers were found to have used any banned substances in the recent past.”

Vijender had refused to be tested by Punjab Police, who while investigating his links to an alleged dealer in a $24m drug haul last month said the boxer had taken heroin 12 times.

Police seized 26 kilograms of heroin with a street value of Rupees 1.3bn ($24 m) in March in Punjab. The alleged dealer was arrested along with five others.AFP