Asserting that human compassion is paramount for him, ace Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt on Wednesday expressed that he wants the London Olympics silver medal in the men's 60kg category to stay with his late Russian opponent Besik Kudukhov's family.
The 33-year-old grappler had earlier said that he came to know of the development on Tuesday morning after reports suggested that his bronze medal from the 2012 London Games is likely to be upgraded to silver after Kudukhov was found guilty of doping violation.
However, the official confirmation is yet to come from the world body and IOC.
The development came in the wake of the decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to retest samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 Games.
Two-time Olympic medallist Kudukhov had died in a car crash in southern Russia in 2013, a year after winning the silverware in London.
Yogeshwar, who made an inglorious exit from the Rio Olympics following a first round defeat earlier this month, described Kudukhov as a great wrestler and added that it was saddening to see the Russian's sample being tested positive after his death.
The Haryana wrestler further said that allowing Kudukhov's family to keep the Olympic medal would be respectful for them.
Following the news of his probable medal upgradation, Yogeshwar had yesterday dedicated the silverware to the entire country.
Once the confirmation comes from the world body, he will join Sushil Kumar as the second Indian wrestler, and only the fifth Indian ever to win an individual silver medal at the Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee stores doping samples for 10 years so they can be retested when new improved testing methods become available, meaning drug cheats who escaped detection at the time can be caught years later.
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