31-year-old Indian-Australian wrestler Vinod Kumar is set to be kicked off the Australian Olympic team after returning a positive doping test.
Vinod Kumar, one of two Australians to have qualified for the Greco-Roman discipline, tested positive at the African/Oceania Olympic qualifier in Alger, Algeria in April.
A subsequent test of his B sample was also positive, and he has been suspended four years, but has 30 days to appeal.
Vinod Kumar Source: Facebook
The Australian Olympic Committee has recently taken down his profile from their website and asked Wrestling Australia to withdraw Kumar's Rio Games nomination.
"The international federation, United World Wrestling, has advised they will reallocate his position in the 66kg division to the next best ranked NOC (National Olympic Committee)," the committee said in a statement.
The Herald Sun reported that he tested positive to the banned stimulant methylhexanamine and the anabolic agent ostarine.
Aus Olympic Team Source: Twitter
Vinod Kumar claims that he has not taken any banned substances and will take legal recourse to prove his innocence.
"I'm depressed by this news ... the only thing I took was protein shakes and that too after asking the shopkeeper if there is no banned substance in it," he said.
Vinod migrated to Australia in 2010 and is still learning to familiarize himself with English. He therefore to understand the full description of the protein shakes ingredients relies on shopkeepers.
His tale is of ultimate persistence - surviving an attack on his life in native India to qualify, migrating to Australia, practicing the only sport he knows with two or three jobs (as a newspaper hawker, a courier and bouncer) with just one aim - gold at Rio!
Vinod thanked the Indian-Australian community, his friends and supporters who had helped finance his Olympic bid up to $15,000.
Vinod Kumar Source: Facebook
He has now hired lawyers in a bid to clear his name.
He still wants to compete at the Rio Olympics.
WATCH VIDEO - SBS HINDI EXCLUSIVE: Vinod Kumar in conversation with Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj.
