Trailblazer basketball player Satnam fails dope test; cager "disputes" charge

Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first Indian player to be drafted into an NBA team in 2015, has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency after he failed a dope test last month.

The 23-year-old Punjab cager has failed an out-of-competition test conducted in Bangalore by the National Anti-Doping Agency during the preparatory camp for the South Asian Games.

He was provisionally suspended on November 19, according to NADA. The prohibited substance found from Bhamara's 'A' sample of his urine is not known.

Bhamara, however, disputed the charge levelled against him and said that he "was and remains a clean" athlete.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the 23-year-old Bhamara said he has requested the NADA for a hearing by its Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel and to decide his case within three months.

"Mr. Bhamara had received a notice from NADA dated 11.11.2019 stating that Mr. Bhamara has failed a doping test for a prohibited substance. Mr. Bhamara is disputing the said charge and has requested a hearing before the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) in order to put forth his case," the statement said.

"Mr. Bhamara would like to state that he was and remains a clean competitor and has always played basketball fairly."
"Mr. Bhamara wishes to clarify that the reports in the media about Mr. Bhamara being provisionally suspended by NADA are misleading and that it is Mr. Bhamara who has voluntarily accepted the provisional suspension vide his communications to NADA."
"So, I don't know the prohibited substance found in the player's sample. Otherwise, the player himself must be having the letter from the NADA and he must be knowing it."