Parveen Hooda suspension: India loses medal at 2023 Asian Games

Boxer Parveen Hooda’s suspension will result in India losing the bronze medal it won at the Asian Games in China last year.

Parveen, who secured a participation quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning the bronze medal in the 57kg weight class in Hangzhou, was banned for 22 months by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for failing to comply with her residency requirements.

“The ITA confirms that boxer Parveen Hooda has been banned for a period of 22 months, effective until July 16, 2025, after he committed three reporting violations within 12 months,” said a statement released by the ITA.

“In addition to the suspension, the athlete’s results achieved between December 11, 2022 and May 17, 2024 will be disqualified,” it said.

Parveen Hooda confirmed her bronze medal after reaching the semifinals on October 4, 2023, a fight she lost to China’s Lin Yu-ting of Taipei. Since the result falls within the time frame specified by the ITA, the Indian boxer will lose her bronze medal.

The development also means that India’s overall medal tally at the 2023 Asian Games will drop from 107 to 106

. However, this does not affect the country’s fourth place in the overall medal standings.

“The ITA reduced her suspension by eight months but also annulled her results during that period,” said Hemanta Kalita, secretary of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

Due to the ban, India also had to forego the Paris 2024 quota that Parveen had secured at the Asian Games.

However, India will have a chance to reclaim the quota in the second World Olympic Qualifiers starting May 24 in Thailand. Jaismine Lamboria, who won the bronze medal in the women’s 60kg class at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, will drop down to the 57kg class for the qualifying tournament.