Olympic bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh, who has been accused of consuming drugs, was on Saturday dropped from the India squad which is to tour Cyprus and Cuba.
The 27-year-old had skipped the selection trials at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala on Friday and Saturday. Earlier, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) vice-president Nivaran Mukherjee had said that if Vijender missed the trials, he would not be considered for the two events.
“Vijender is not out of the team but he will not participate in the tournaments in Cyprus and Cuba,” IABF president Abhishek Matoria told a news channel on Saturday.
The Olympian will henceforth miss two tournaments in Cuba, the Cardova Cardin and the Roberto Balado Cup, in June. Amidst a drug scandal at the moment, the Bhiwani-born pugilist, however, is expected to take part in the World Championship in Kazakhstan from Oct 4 to 13.
“I have been in constant touch with Vijender and he has assured me that he does not have any involvement with drugs. He has told me that he will come out clean from the enquiry. At the moment, he is under severe pressure.
He is hopeful of being given a clean chit in the next 10 days or so. And then he will get back to boxing. Vijender is very much an important part of the Indian boxing fraternity,” said Matoria.
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