New Delhi: Fighting a dope taint, weightlifter Sanjita Chanu’s troubles mounted Thursday with her ‘B’ sample also returning positive but the defiant CWG gold medallist said she will fight her case before the hearing panel of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in Hungary.
If Sanjita fails to prove her innocence before the IWF hearing panel, she faces a maximum punishment of four years, as stipulated for a first-time offender.
“The B sample test was sent to Sanjita, September 11 and we will present our case before the IWF hearing panel in Budapest. We will highlight the mistakes committed by the IWF in this case,” Sanjita’s brother Bijen Singh told this agency. “It (the international body) has admitted its mistakes. We are confident of winning the case,” he added.
Should her fight fail in the IWF, Sanjita is likely to knock at the doors of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland. “We will fight for justice till the end. We will do whatever is available to us. She has been wronged,” asserted Bijen.
The IWF had earlier said May 15, that it had made an administrative blunder while publishing the result of the test. So I am going to fight to prove myself innocent
Sanjita Chanu
In the letter which informed her about the ‘B’ sample result, the IWF had given time till September 18 to tell the world body whether she wishes to appear before a hearing panel.
She was given the option to be present in person at a regular IWF hearing session, or at an extraordinary hearing, or through phone conference or skype. In reply, Sanjita wrote, “I would like to appear before the hearing panel through my representative (or myself) to prove my innocence.”
Sanjita is now mulling whether to appear in person or send a lawyer. “Considering the cost involved for two persons (Sanjita and a lawyer) going to Hungary, we may send just a lawyer to represent her in the hearing in Budapest. But it is not yet finalised. We will take a call on it in the next few days,” Bijen said.
