Haryana-origin Oz wrestler out of Oly on dope charge

Melbourne, July 15 

Indian origin wrestler from Haryana Vinod Kumar has been expelled from Australian team for the Rio Olympics after he failed a dope test.

In a statement, Australian Olympics Committee said it has asked Wrestling Australia to withdraw the nomination of athlete Kumar for the Rio Olympics following an anti-doping violation. Kumar tested positive at the African/Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Alger, Algeria, and subsequent tests of the A and B samples were positive, it said.

He has been suspended for four years but has 30 days in which to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The international federation, United World Wrestling, has advised they will reallocate his position in the 66kg division to the next best ranked NOC. Kumar was to compete in the 66-kg division of Greco-Roman wrestling in Rio. 

The 31-year-old, who hails from a Haryana village, Khanda, qualified in the 66kg weight category in Greco-Roman event. Dahiya acquired the Australian citizenship a year ago and was supposed to make his Olympics debut in August. 

Haryana women outnumber males for Rio

Chandigarh: Despite Haryana having a poor sex ratio, there appears a ray of hope for the north Indian state where female athletes outnumber their male counterparts for the upcoming Rio Olympics, starting August 5. Among the 21 sportspersons, there are 11 women waiting to showcase their prowess in the quadrennial extravaganza in Brazil. Among the 21, five will participate in athletics events, two are boxers, six wrestlers and the remaining eight are hockey players. 

Semenya among 137 Rio-bound South Africans      

Johannesburg: Athletics gold medal hopefuls Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk were named Thursday in a 137-strong South Africa multi-sport team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Semenya is favourite to win the 800 metres women’s gold medal in the first Games hosted by South America after clocking the fastest time this year, 1 minute 56.64 seconds. Having won the 2009 World Championship 800m title in Berlin, the South African had to undergo gender testing before being permitted to compete as a woman. 

Russian Lovchev out of Olympics as ban upheld

Russian weightlifter Alexei Lovchev will miss next month’s Olympics after his appeal against a four-year ban was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. — Agencies