Paris 2024 Olympics: India to contest again for boxing quota after Parveen Hooda’s suspension
Parveen Hooda obtained the quota for India in the women’s 57kg at the Asian Games last year. India will have a chance to regain the quota in Bangkok next week.
India will contest again for the Paris 2024 Olympics quota secured by Parveen Hooda in the women’s 57kg boxing after the Indian boxer was suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for whereabouts failures.
Parveen Hooda had obtained the quota for India with a bronze medal at the Asian Games last year.
“The Federation has declined the quota spot won by Parveen in the 57kg category so that it becomes eligible to compete at the second World Olympic qualifier once again and aim to regain the spot,” the BFI said in a statement released on Friday.
However, at the second World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Bangkok starting next week, India can only field a boxer who was registered as a reserve for the meet before April 11, 2024. This means only two boxers, named as reserves in 60kg and 66 kg categories, are eligible to compete.
Hooda was handed a 22-month suspension by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for whereabouts failures. The start of Hooda’s suspension period backdates to September last year and will end in July 2025.
"Our proactive outreach to ITA and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) emphasised the unintentional nature of the boxer's actions, particularly given her father's terminal illness,” said the BFI secretary-general Hemanta Kalita.
The ITA had initially proposed the suspension period of 24 months backdated by six months.
“The failure arose on account of Ms Hooda lacking the ability and technical know-how required for operating the Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS) platform, owing to which a gap arose in Hooda being able to fill her whereabouts information accurately and consistently,” said Vidushpat Singhania, the boxer’s legal counsel.
So far, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (women's 75kg), two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) have obtained quotas for India in boxing.
However, the National Olympic Committees (NOC) have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games. Athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their respective delegation at Paris 2024.