Doping menace hits Indian sports: Athletes, Judokas account for most failed tests

The doping saga returned to hit Indian sports again as multiple athletes have been handed out suspensions for failing dope tests, whose suspensions have come into effect in 2023.

Some of the biggest names to fail the dope tests in recent times include National inter-state women’s 400m champion quarter-miler Anjali Devi, Asian Games bound shot putter Karanveer Singh and National Games 200m champion Archana Suseendran.

Anjali and Karanveer were pulled out of the Indian contingent traveling to Asian Athletics Championships 2023 at the last moment.

Among others, the list of athletes failing dope tests also includes last year’s Federation Cup gold medallist discus thrower Kirpal Singh and 2020 National women’s 59kg champion lifter Erra Deexitha.

Earlier this month, four male Judokas who were in running for the Asian Games failed their dope tests.

As per the list of suspended athletes from different sports, Anjali has tested positive for GW1516. Kirpal has returned a positive result for stanozolol, while Karanveer was found to be positive for methandienone and SARMS enobosarm.

The list also has the names of national youth women’s 45kg champion lifter Anjali Patel, Khelo India University Games light single scull champion rower Malak Singh, some judokas, and many from bodybuilding and powerlifting.

As the trend continues, India is constantly on the podium when it comes to doping. In the report for 2020 published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), India, with 59 instances, comes behind the champion of the doping game, Russia, which has 135 cases.

Weightlifting and Athletics continue to be the leaders in doping with the majority of athletes from these two disciplines caught in doping.

List of athletes provisionally suspended from various sports for Doping

Athletics: Sujit Tikode (banned substance: stanozolol), Ruhi Bhora (GW1516), Ankit (drostanolone), Arathi R. (drostanolone), Himani Chandel (drostanolone), Karanveer Singh (methandienone, SARMS enobosarm), Kirpal Singh (stanozolol), Anjali Devi (GW1516)

Para-athletics: Rahul (SARMS LGD-4033), Ranjeet Bhati (dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone)

Judo: Akshay (methandienone), Anil (stanozolol), Hardeep Singh Brar (SARMS LGD-4033, SARMS enobosarm), Mohsin Gulab Ali (SARMS enobosarm), Rahul Sevta (oxandrolone; stanozolol)

Kabaddi: Rohit Singh Tomar (methandienone), Durgesh Kumar (methandienone)

Rowing: Malak Singh (mephentermine)

Weightlifting: Gursajan Singh (SARMS LGD-4033, mephentermine, drostanolone), Erra Deexitha (drostanolone), Ashwani (dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone), Anjali Patel (mephentermine).