NADA provisionally suspends wrestler Mukul Dahiya ahead of Asian Games 2026

India's wrestling contingent has been hit by doping setback just weeks before the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, set to begin on September 19.

Mukul Dahiya, a freestyle wrestler considered a strong medal prospect in the 86kg category, has tested positive for the stimulant Mephentermine and has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

Dahiya, who claimed a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Championships, is currently in Yerevan, Armenia, training alongside other Asian Games-bound freestyle wrestlers at an exposure camp.

With his suspension, India, in all likelihood, will now have no representation in the 86kg freestyle category at the Games.

#News 🚨 Asian Games-bound wrestler Mukul Dahiya has been provisionally suspended by NADA after testing positive for Mephentermine, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

The 2026 Asian Championships silver medallist competes in the 86kg freestyle category, which India… pic.twitter.com/yCSUr2NSyC

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) August 22, 2026

A bitter jolt

What has added to the confusion is that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), according to a report from The New Indian Express, had no advance knowledge of the suspension.

This is not an isolated case: days earlier, Greco-Roman wrestler Deepanshu (130kg), also part of the original Asian Games squad, was provisionally suspended after failing an out-of-competition test.

In that instance, the WFI managed to swap him out, naming Ronak Dahiya — who had lost to Deepanshu in the Lucknow selection trials on May 31 — as his replacement.

This time, there may be no such fix.

The WFI had already submitted its final list of wrestlers to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and with the squad locked in, a late substitution appears unlikely.

Left in the dark

According to the report from The New Indian Express, the federation was left in the dark this time around.

Typically, NADA flags a suspension to the WFI at the same moment it informs the athlete — but that didn't happen in the Dahiya case.

The federation only pieced together what had happened when it noticed the suspension list itself had been quietly updated on August 4, well after the fact had emerged.

Had the NADA flagged it in time, there could still have been room to swap Dahiya out for another wrestler, the way the federation did with Deepanshu. Instead, with the discovery coming so late, the 86kg category now looks almost certain to go into the Asian Games without an Indian wrester.

The WFI had sent its original list of selected wrestlers to the IOA in the first week of June. In Deepanshu's case, the federation was alerted around July 20, giving it enough time to name a replacement before the deadline.

Sadly, no such option appears to exist on this matter, and the consequence could be a medal lost for India even before the start of the games.