India is facing a widening sports doping crisis after recording the highest number of positive anti-doping test findings among major sporting nations for three consecutive years, being placed in World Athletics’ highest doping-risk category and losing athlete places at the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of repeated violations. Government figures show that 125 Indian athletes tested positive for prohibited substances in 2022, rising to 213 in 2023 and 260 in 2024. In April 2026, the Athletics Integrity Unit classified Indian athletics as an “extremely high” doping risk, imposing stricter testing requirements. The crisis became particularly visible before the 2026 Commonwealth Games, when doping cases involving several Indian weightlifters caused the country’s quota to be reduced, while two leading judokas were separately removed from the team over anti-doping violations. The Indian government has responded by expanding testing and proposing criminal penalties aimed at traffickers, suppliers and support personnel involved in organized doping.
India Tops Global Doping Figures
India Recorded 260 Positive Tests In 2024. According to figures cited by the Indian government and World Anti-Doping Agency data, 260 Indian athletes returned positive findings for banned substances in 2024. Government data showed that 7,466 tests were conducted that year, while WADA’s international testing figures counted 7,113 samples in its comparable dataset. [Government of India] [WADA Data]
The Number Of Positive Cases Rose Sharply Over Three Years. Indian government figures show 125 athletes testing positive in 2022, 213 in 2023 and 260 in 2024. The 2021 total had been 42 during a period when testing was substantially reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Government of India]
India Had The Highest Positivity Rate Among Countries Conducting More Than 5,000 Tests In 2024. WADA’s testing figures showed 260 adverse analytical findings from 7,113 Indian samples, producing a rate of approximately 3.6%. China, by comparison, conducted more than 24,000 tests and recorded a substantially lower positivity rate. [WADA Data]
India Led The International List For A Third Consecutive Year. Reporting based on WADA figures placed India at the top of the global totals in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The numbers rose from 125 to 213 and then 260 over those three years. [Business Standard]
A Positive Test Is Not Necessarily The Same Thing As A Final Doping Violation. An adverse analytical finding means testing detected a prohibited substance or related marker. Some cases can later be explained through therapeutic-use exemptions, procedural findings or other circumstances. A final anti-doping rule violation generally follows the results-management and disciplinary process. The large Indian totals nevertheless demonstrate the scale of prohibited-substance findings being generated by testing.
Athletics Is At The Center Of The Problem
Athletics Produced More Indian Positive Findings Than Any Other Sport In 2024. WADA-related data showed 76 adverse findings from approximately 1,862 Indian athletics samples in 2024. Weightlifting followed with 43, while wrestling recorded 29. [The Bridge]
World Athletics Classified India As An “Extremely High” Doping Risk. In April 2026, the Athletics Integrity Unit moved the Athletics Federation of India from Category B into the highest-risk Category A under World Athletics’ anti-doping rules. [AIU] [Reuters]
India Joined Countries Including Russia, Kenya And Ethiopia In The Highest-Risk Group. Category A is reserved for national athletics federations judged to present the greatest doping risk. India joined a group that also included Russia, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Ukraine. [Al Jazeera]
The AIU Said India’s Domestic Anti-Doping Program Was Not Strong Enough For The Risk. AIU chairman David Howman said the level of domestic anti-doping work was “simply not proportionate to the doping risk” and pointed to India’s consistently high number of athletics violations. [Reuters] [Indian Express]
Indian Athletics Had 48 Anti-Doping Rule Violations In 2022, 63 In 2023 And 71 In 2024. Those athletics-specific totals helped drive the international body’s decision to impose the stricter Category A designation. [Indian Express]
What Category A Means For Indian Athletes
Indian Athletes Now Face More Stringent Testing Requirements. World Athletics requires competitors from Category A federations to satisfy minimum testing standards before being eligible for major international championships. [Reuters]
The Rules Are Designed To Prevent Athletes From Reaching Major Events Without Adequate Out-Of-Competition Testing. The international system places additional obligations on national federations with elevated doping risks so athletes cannot simply rely on competition-day testing.
Failure To Meet Testing Requirements Can Make An Athlete Ineligible Even Without A Positive Test. Category A rules can prevent competitors from participating at major championships if the required testing has not been completed, making the country’s doping problems capable of affecting athletes who have not themselves failed a test.
Commonwealth Games Weightlifting Scandal
Four Indian Weightlifters Were Caught In Doping Cases Before The 2026 Commonwealth Games. National campers N Ajith, Sairaj Pardeshi, Harcharan Singh and Vanshita Verma were sanctioned or removed from contention following anti-doping violations during the qualification period. [PTI] [Times of India]
Ajith And Pardeshi Had Been Considered Major Medal Prospects. Their loss damaged India’s chances in a sport that has traditionally produced a large portion of the country’s Commonwealth Games medal total. [New Indian Express]
The Doping Violations Cost India Weightlifting Quota Places. Commonwealth Games qualification rules reduced the maximum number of available athlete places when lifters or support personnel from a country committed anti-doping rule violations during the qualifying period. [Hindustan Times]
India’s Maximum Weightlifting Quota Fell From 16 To 11. Five doping violations during the relevant qualification period ultimately reduced the number of available Indian entries by five. [Hindustan Times]
Dilbagh Singh Lost His Commonwealth Games Place Even Though He Was Not Accused Of Doping. India initially sent 12 lifters to Glasgow but was later informed that only 11 slots remained. Officials chose to withdraw Dilbagh Singh, who was also suffering from a back injury. His removal demonstrated how one athlete’s doping violation can directly affect innocent teammates under quota-reduction rules. [PTI]
Judo Doping Cases Hit The Commonwealth Games Team
Judoka Arun Kumar Was Removed After A Positive Test. Arun Kumar, a 73kg competitor and previous Asian Open gold medalist, was provisionally suspended after an out-of-competition test reportedly detected a banned anabolic steroid. [Times of India]
Arun Kumar Had Been Considered A Commonwealth Games Medal Hope. His suspension came immediately before the Glasgow Games and forced India to remove him from its judo lineup. [Hindustan Times]
Olympian Tulika Maan Was Also Removed From The Judo Team. Maan, who won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was provisionally suspended after accumulating three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. [Indian Express] [Times of India]
A Whereabouts Violation Does Not Require A Positive Drug Test. Elite athletes in registered testing pools must provide information allowing anti-doping authorities to locate them for unannounced testing. Three filing failures or missed tests within 12 months can constitute an anti-doping rule violation.
Swapna Barman Doping Case
Asian Games Champion Swapna Barman Was Provisionally Suspended In August 2026. Barman, India’s first Asian Games gold medalist in the women’s heptathlon, returned a positive test for a prohibited substance and was provisionally suspended by NADA. [PTI/NDTV]
Her Retirement Does Not Automatically End The Anti-Doping Case. Barman had recently announced her retirement, but disciplinary proceedings can continue over conduct and samples from the period when an athlete remained subject to anti-doping rules. [PTI/NDTV]
Shivpal Singh Gets A 10-Year Ban
Olympian Javelin Thrower Shivpal Singh Received A 10-Year Suspension. NADA’s disciplinary panel imposed the lengthy sanction after Singh tested positive for methandienone, an anabolic steroid. [Times of India]
The Length Of The Ban Reflected A Second Doping Offense. Singh had previously served a doping suspension after an earlier steroid-positive sample. His latest violation was therefore treated more severely than a first offense. [Times of India]
The Ban Could Effectively End His Elite Career. Singh was 31 when the 10-year penalty was announced in August 2026. He had represented India at the Tokyo Olympics and won silver at the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships. [Times of India]
Asian Games Wrestler Mukul Dahiya Suspended
Asian Games-Bound Wrestler Mukul Dahiya Was Provisionally Suspended In August 2026. Dahiya, a freestyle wrestler competing at 86kg, reportedly tested positive for the stimulant mephentermine while preparing for the 2026 Asian Games. [New Indian Express]
Dahiya Was A Significant Medal Prospect. He had won silver at the 2026 Asian Championships and was training with India’s Asian Games squad in Armenia when news of the suspension emerged. [New Indian Express]
The Suspension Threatened To Leave India Without An 86kg Entrant At The Asian Games. The case was another example of doping problems directly damaging India’s medal prospects at a major international event. [New Indian Express]
Wrestler Jaspreet Kaur Sanctioned At Asian Beach Games
Indian Wrestler Jaspreet Kaur Tested Positive At The 2026 Asian Beach Games. The International Testing Agency said a urine sample collected from Kaur on April 29 contained octodrine and its metabolite heptaminol. [International Testing Agency]
Both Substances Are Prohibited Stimulants In Competition. The ITA described octodrine as a central nervous system stimulant and heptaminol as a cardiovascular stimulant. [International Testing Agency]
Kaur Was Formally Sanctioned For The Violation. Unlike athletes who are merely provisionally suspended while their cases proceed, Kaur’s case reached a sanction announced by the International Testing Agency in July 2026. [International Testing Agency]
Cricket Is Not Completely Exempt
Former Mumbai Cricketer Bhupen Lalwani Was Among 25 Athletes Provisionally Suspended By NADA In June 2026. Lalwani, who had played domestic cricket for Mumbai, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, tested positive for terbutaline. [India Today]
Terbutaline Can Be Permitted With Appropriate Medical Authorization. The substance is prohibited under anti-doping rules unless an athlete has the required Therapeutic Use Exemption, making the circumstances of an individual case important before drawing conclusions about intentional cheating.
The Case Attracted Attention Because Cricket Rarely Appears Prominently On India’s Doping Lists. Most Indian positives have historically been concentrated in sports such as athletics, weightlifting and wrestling. [India Today]
78 Positive Findings Already Recorded By July 2026
The Indian Government Reported 78 Adverse Analytical Findings By July 15, 2026. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya disclosed the figure in Parliament, with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab each accounting for 13 cases. [New Indian Express]
The 2026 Figure Followed 131 Reported Cases In 2025. Government data indicated a decline from 260 in 2024 to 131 in 2025 before the 78 findings recorded during the first half of 2026. [New Indian Express]
A Lower Annual Total Does Not Mean The Structural Problem Has Disappeared. The AIU’s decision to classify India as an extremely high-risk athletics nation came in April 2026 despite the decline in the national headline number because the international body considered several years of violations and the strength of India’s domestic testing system.
Evidence Of A Grassroots Doping Problem
Doping Concerns Extend Beyond India’s Elite International Athletes. Anti-doping officials and sports administrators have repeatedly raised concerns that performance-enhancing substances are easily available to young and lower-level competitors before they reach elite national programs. [Reuters]
Syringes And Performance-Enhancing Drugs Were Found At A Government Sports Stadium In Faridabad. A 2026 investigation found discarded syringes and packaging associated with substances including anabolic steroids and darbepoetin alfa in washrooms at the Sector 12 government sports complex. Coaches told the newspaper they did not believe outsiders were responsible for the material. [Times of India]
Officials Responded By Increasing Supervision At The Stadium. Following the reporting, warning signs were installed and coaches were assigned additional oversight responsibilities. The discovery did not identify which individual athletes, if any, had used the substances found at the facility. [Times of India]
India Says More Testing Helps Explain The Numbers
NADA Has Significantly Increased The Number Of Tests It Conducts. Government figures show testing rising from 1,899 samples in 2021 to more than 4,000 in 2022, roughly 5,800 in 2023 and more than 7,000 in 2024. [Government of India]
Indian Officials Argue That Aggressive Testing Naturally Detects More Violations. NADA has pointed to expanded testing as part of the explanation for the country’s high absolute totals. More testing can reveal violations that a weaker testing program might miss.
The International Criticism Goes Beyond The Number Of Tests. India’s unusually high positivity rate and the AIU’s criticism of domestic anti-doping quality mean the controversy cannot be explained solely by the country collecting more samples. In 2024, several countries conducted substantially more tests while recording much lower positive rates. [WADA Data]
Government Proposes Criminal Penalties For Organized Doping
India Proposed New Laws Targeting Doping Suppliers In 2026. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports opened public consultation on amendments designed to criminalize trafficking, unauthorized sale and distribution of prohibited performance-enhancing substances. [Government of India]
The Proposal Targets Dealers And Support Personnel Rather Than Athletes Who Test Positive. The government said athletes themselves would remain protected from criminal prosecution under the proposed framework, while criminal liability would focus on traffickers, illegal suppliers, organized syndicates and support personnel who administer banned substances. [Government of India]
Supplying Doping Substances To Minors Would Be Specifically Targeted. The proposed framework includes penalties for supplying banned substances to minors, commercial doping operations, improperly labeled prohibited products and advertisements encouraging doping. [Government of India]
Sports Minister Mandaviya Called Doping An Organized International Business. In April 2026, Mandaviya said doping could no longer be viewed merely as an individual athlete’s misconduct and described trafficking in performance-enhancing substances as an organized multinational enterprise. [Government of India]
India Expands Anti-Doping Education
The Government Ordered Mandatory Anti-Doping Education For Major Domestic Events. In June 2026, Mandaviya said athletes competing in India’s National Games and Khelo India competitions would undergo mandatory anti-doping awareness sessions. [Government of India]
Officials Said Education Would Expand Into Schools, Colleges And Villages. The government announced plans to move anti-doping education further into grassroots sport instead of concentrating only on elite national teams. [Government of India]
NADA Also Maintains Testing, Education And Investigation Programs. India’s National Anti-Doping Agency is responsible for sample collection, results management, anti-doping education, intelligence and investigations under the World Anti-Doping Code. [NADA India]
Impact On India’s Olympic Ambitions
The Doping Crisis Has Become An Issue For India’s International Sporting Reputation. India is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has ambitions to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, making repeated doping violations particularly damaging to its effort to present itself as a reliable major-event host. [Reuters]
The IOC Has Raised Doping Concerns With India. Reuters reported that the International Olympic Committee urged Indian officials to address the doping problem as the country pursued its 2036 Olympic ambitions. [Reuters]
Being Classified As An Extremely High-Risk Athletics Nation Added To The Pressure. The AIU decision placed India’s domestic athletics system under the same enhanced international scrutiny applied to several countries with longstanding doping problems. [AIU]
Why The India Doping Scandal Is A Systemic Issue
The Controversy Is Bigger Than Any Single Athlete. Positive tests involving Commonwealth Games contenders, Olympians, junior athletes and competitors across athletics, weightlifting, wrestling, judo, boxing and other sports suggest a broad problem rather than one isolated team or coaching group.
Doping Can Punish Athletes Who Have Never Failed A Test. India’s Commonwealth Games weightlifting quota reduction demonstrated that repeated violations can cost entire teams qualification places, with Dilbagh Singh losing his spot because of violations committed by other lifters. [Hindustan Times]
International Authorities Have Questioned Whether India’s Domestic Enforcement Matches The Risk. The most serious institutional criticism came from the Athletics Integrity Unit, which concluded that the national anti-doping response in athletics was not proportionate to what it called the country’s extremely high doping risk. [Reuters]
Indian Authorities Say They Are Increasing Enforcement Rather Than Ignoring The Problem. Expanded testing, greater cooperation with WADA, tougher international testing requirements, proposed criminal penalties for suppliers and new grassroots education programs show that both Indian and international authorities are now treating the issue as a structural threat to Indian sport. [Government of India] [Government of India]
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One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.