PMO refers Narsingh Yadav's dope case to CBI, confirms WFI

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday confirmed that the dope case of wrestler Narsingh Yadav has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh today met the officials at the Prime Minister's Office to discuss Narsingh's dope case, which was eventually referred to the country's premier investigating agency by them.

"The President, Wrestling Federation of India met PMO after arriving from Rio and requested the case of Narsingh Yadav may please be forwarded to CBI for further investigation," the WFI said in a statement.

"Today, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, MP, President, WFI has confirmed that the case of Narsingh Yadav has been referred to CBI for further investigation," the statement added.

Despite getting a clean chit from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), the CAS had handed Narsingh a four-year ban in its 'operative award' on August 18 barely hours before his 74kg freestyle opening bout was scheduled at the Rio Olympics.

The development came after the WADA filed an urgent application before the CAS, challenging the decision of NADA to exonerate the 26-year-old grappler following two positive anti-doping tests with methandienone on June 25 and July 5.

Later, Brij Bhushan demanded a CBI probe into the 'alleged conspiracy' that resulted in Narsingh's elimination from the recently-concluded Rio Olympics and eventually to a four-year suspension.

Narsingh had submitted that the doping offence was due to sabotage carried out by Jithesh (a junior wrestler and a member of Sushil Kumar's entourage) by mixing his energy drinks with prohibited substance on either June 23 or 24.

However, the CAS had dismissed the sabotage theory, saying that the grappler failed to produce any real evidence in the matter while ruling that he took the "banned substance intentionally in tablet form".

Meanwhile, Narsingh's selection for the Rio Olympics was also marred with controversy as two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar had demanded trials to determine who should go to the games. In the end, Narsingh was favoured for the same after fighting a lengthy legal battle with Sushil.