In a massive jolt to India’s medal hopes in 2024 Paris Olympics, World championship bronze medallist boxer Parveen Hooda is likely to lose her Olympic quota after being suspended by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for three whereabout failures in 12 months.

Parveen, who bagged an Olympic quota in the women’s 57kg weight category during the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, failed to file her whereabouts in the period from April 2022 to March 2023 as per the WADA rules.

“This is a massive setback for us. Parveen has been provisionally suspended by World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) for a period of 18 months,” her coach Sudhir Hooda confirmed.

According to WADA rules, “any combination of three whereabouts failures (filing failure and/or missed test) within a period of 12 months constitute an anti-doping rule violation, for which the applicable sanction is 2 years’ ineligibility subject to a reduction to a minimum of 1 year depending on your degree of fault.”

The development has left the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) battling for last-minute efforts to search for alternative options. “We are communicating with the IBA regarding the matter but yet to hear from them. Depending on that we will see what can be done,” a top BFI official told The Statesman.

“We are ready to hold open trials if the IBA allows us, but in case the global body asks us to choose from the two names we have submitted, then we have to send the other boxer for the upcoming qualifiers in Thailand,” the official added.

Parveen’s name was initially part of the team list for the ongoing Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan but a week later, when BFI officially announced the team, there was no boxer in the women’s 57kg class.

Now that Parveen’s dreams of Olympic participation hangs by a thread, Jaismine Lamboria, the 60kg boxer is being tipped to cut her weight before taking part at the World Olympic Qualifiers, scheduled in Bangkok from May 24 to June 2.

Unlike shooting or wrestling, where the quota is awarded to the country, and it depends on the respective NOCs to select the athletes for the Olympics, boxing quotas are awarded to the athlete who has won it.

Besides Parveen, Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) have earned Paris quotas.