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MELBOURNE, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Australian wrestler Vinod Kumar has been axed from the Australian Olympic team just three weeks out from the Rio Games, following an anti-doping violation on Friday.
Kumar, an Indian-Australian wrestler from Melbourne, tested positive to an unnamed drug in April at the African/Oceania Olympic qualifier in Algeria, where he won a silver medal.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) released a statement about Kumar's positive test result on Friday.
"The Australian Olympic Committee has asked Wrestling Australia to withdraw the nomination of athlete Vinod Kumar for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games following an anti-doping violation," the statement read.
The 31-year-old was one of two Australians to have qualified for the Olympic wrestling's 66 kg Greco-Roman discipline.
Kumar's subsequent tests of the A and B samples were both positive and he was suspended for four years, pending an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which he has 30 days to lodge.
Kumar was set to represent Australia at his debut Olympic Games, after becoming a citizen only 12 months ago.
From a small village in India, Kumar migrated to Australia in 2010. He represented the green and gold for the first time at the Oceania Championships in New Zealand in March, where he won the gold medal.
In the last six years, Kumar has won 20 medals in Australia at state, national and international level, including six national championships.
The international wrestling body, United World Wrestling, has indicated Kumar's position will not be reallocated to another Australian. His profile has already been taken down from the Australian Olympic Team's website.
The Rio Olympics begin on August 5.
