World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will appeal the clean-chit given to Narsingh by India’s anti-doping body at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The date for the hearing has been set as August 18, a day before Narsingh’s first bout.

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WFI President however sounded confident that Narsingh will be cleared. He told this to ANI:

The NADA reached the conclusion that Narsingh was indeed sabotaged after three days of marathon hearings towards the end of July. Narsingh’s lawyers had argued that the wrestler had been sabotaged by rivals. Narsingh had even filed a police complaint, naming two fellow wrestlers, one of whom is a 17-year-old.

The wrestler from Maharashtra had returned positive for metandienone — a banned anabolic steroid, following which he cried foul, claiming that the entire episode was a conspiracy against him.

NADA’s legal team had also given its arguments against the sabotage theory before the disciplinary committee, stating that the responsibility of keeping his system dope free lay with Narsingh.

Prior to all this, Narsingh had a lengthy legal battle with two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar over which wrestler would represent India at Rio 2016 in the men’s 74 kg freestyle category.