Sumit Malik seeking a reduced doping ban to defend his Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham

Indian wrestler Sumit Malik, 28, will appeal to the United World Wrestling (UWW) for a reduced doping ban in hopes of defending his Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham. Sumit has also sent a supplement and a few painkillers for testing to the United States which could prove he took the banned substance out of competition for medical reasons.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, a Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) official said:

“It is unfortunate that his Olympic chances are over. But if he can prove his innocence and get his sanction reduced, he might have a shot at defending his CWG title.”

Sumit Malik can reduce his sentence if he can prove that he took the drug outside competition for medical reasons and not as a performance-enhancing dose.

"We have submitted a sample of the supplement to the US for testing. We suspect it has the banned substance. We believe that is the reason why Sumit failed the drug test," a source familiar with the matter told Sportskeeda.

Sumit Malik was handed a two-year ban on July 2 after testing positive for methylhexamine at the World Olympic Qualifiers in Bulgaria in May. Methylhexamine is a banned substance that falls under the “specified stimulant” category in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list.

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He was stripped off his Tokyo Olympics quota in the 125kg category following the drug test.

However, the wrestler claims to have informed UWW officials about it.

“I had taken painkillers Mobizox and Voveran for a knee injury. I even informed the UWW officials about it. I am still clueless about how I tested positive,” Sumit Malik said.