Rising doping violations threaten to derail India’s ambitious bid for the 2036 Olympic Games

India’s AAFs are down significantly in 2025, but more efforts are needed to eradicate substance abuse.

Bengaluru: India’s ambitious bid to host the 2036 Olympics is very much in motion, with serious efforts underway to project Ahmedabad as a city capable of staging the quadrennial spectacle. The competition is stiff, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Turkey also circling and yet India landing the 2030 Commonwealth Games, an event that struggled to find hosts, signals how determined it is to push its sporting credentials.

That momentum, however, took a hit in mid-Decmeber when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped an uncomfortable truth. In its annual report, the global watchdog named India the worst offender among major nations for the third straight year in a classification covering countries that collected over 5,000 or more blood and urine samples in 2024.

India collected a total of 7,333 samples, including 318 blood samples for biological passports used for elite athletes. From these, 3.65 per cent or 260 adverse analytical findings (AAF) or positive results emerged. Track and field topped the list with 76 positives, followed by wrestling with 43 and weightlifting with 29, all Olympic disciplines. The comparison with other sporting heavyweights only deepens the worry. 

Germany, infamous for systematic doping during the Cold War era, collected more than 45,000 samples yet reported an AAF rate of just 0.61 per cent, translating to under 200 cases. Neighbouring China tested over 21,000 samples and returned a meagre 0.21 per cent positive rate.

These findings also arrive at a sensitive moment as the International Olympic Committee in July warned the Indian Olympic Association to address doping concerns, along with internal governance issues, if India wanted to remain a serious bidder for the Games. 

Aware that the report could come back to haunt them, the National Anti-Doing Agency (NADA) moved quickly as it presented that India’s ranking does not reflect surge in doping culture but rather a system that is catching more offenders who earlier slipped through. 

In its statement to WADA’s findings, NADA stressed that the 2024 ranking was a by-product of intensified testing, broader surveillance and sharper detection methods. NADA pointed that both in-competition and out-of-competition testing have expanded significantly as tests rose from 4,004 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024. By mid-December this year, 7,068 tests had already been conducted, with 110 positives so far, bringing the rate down to around 1.5 per cent.

Among the measures pushed by NADA, the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) are the promotion of the ‘Know Your Medicine’ mobile application. The app, which has a mere 10,000-plus downloads on android platforms, allows athletes and support staff to check whether prescribed drugs or supplements contain banned substances.

“NADA has undertaken extensive nationwide education efforts to promote clean sport,” the agency said in its report. “In 2024, around 280 anti-doping workshops were conducted during sports events and training camps, reaching approximately 37,000 participants.

“By December 16, 2025, 329 awareness programmes were held, including webinars, seminars, TV sessions, ADEL courses, mega events, engaging competitions and digital campaigns to engage a wider audience.”

But the optimism did not last long as WADA’s separate report on anti-doping rule violations for 2024, released last week, showed India overtaking long-time leader Russia to become the world’s top violator for the first time, with 222 cases; confirming that India are now the lynchpin of the doping world.

The reason, many believe, is that doping in India is not just restricted to elite levels as the roots run deep into the grassroots. Several minors tested positive in 2025 for anabolic androgenic steroids, substances that are often harder to detect and directs at a systemic issue.

“Everyone (athletes) is aware but nobody will speak of it,” said a former national-level athlete, speaking to DH on the conditions of anonymity. “Such drugs are easily accessible if someone looks for it, even at a local pharmacy without prescription. In some cases, even coaches or senior athletes provide it.”

One of the most striking cases this year involved Haryana teenager Sanjana Singh and her coach Sandeep Mann in Novemver. The 18-year-old tested positive for anabolic steroids -- metandienone and oxandrolone -- in two separate tests after her double gold at the South Asian Athletics Championships in Ranchi in October.

While the quantum of Sanjana’s punishment is still pending before NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, Mann was charged with “Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking of Prohibited Substances”. It became one of those rare cases where both athlete and coach were suspended.

When contacted by DH, Mann claimed he was unfairly dragged into the controversy. He alleged that he was targeted because his athlete succeeded, while others freely sell banned substances without scrutiny. 

His defence may sound predictable but it again points to how widespread and normalised the problem has become. The reality is that performance-enhancing drugs are not used only to chase medals at international events as many athletes use them to gain an edge at departmental competitions like Inter-Railway or Services Games where strong performances can mean promotions and job security. 

These events often escape strict monitoring because NADA, operating on a modest budget of ₹24.30 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year, cannot adequately staff every competition. In previous years, the allocation hovered around ₹22 crore and could not be enough to cover testing, education and administration across a massive sporting ecosystem.

Concerns grow further at smaller nationals, state and university-level meets -- barring Khelo India events -- where testing presence is minimal or absent with each test costing up to Rs 25,000 at the National Dope Testing Laboratory in New Delhi.

An interesting pattern emerged at the Khelo India University Games in Jaipur last month. Several athletes, who had qualified through University Nationals, chose not to start in several track and field events. Call it coincidence but NADA was present at the event.

Experts believe the core issue is a mix of poor awareness and weak education, especially among young athletes chasing quick success. There is also limited academic study into how and why doping spreads at lower levels, leaving administrators to react rather than prevent.

“The obvious but unanswered question is did these athletes actually enhance their sporting performance,” asked Dr PSM Chandran, former Director of Sports Medicine at SAI. “Let NADA and the National Sports Federations publish transparent analyses of athletes’ performances before, during and after the period of alleged doping. Without such evidence, the claim that banned substances universally enhance performance remains belief, not science.”

What also remains unresolved is the slow handling of cases. Several athletes provisionally suspended last year are still awaiting final verdicts, raising questions about NADA’s efficiency. Indian athletes are obligated under anti-doping rules to report suspicious approaches but when systems move slowly trust erodes just as fast as credibility.

India