India Faces Stricter Anti-Doping Measures After High-Risk Classification
Indian athletes are now subject to significantly tougher anti-doping requirements following the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) being placed in World Athletics' highest-risk category by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Monday. This decision comes after India consistently ranked among the top two nations for anti-doping rule violations in athletics from 2022 to 2025, leading the AIU board to elevate the AFI from Category B to Category A. Federations in Category A face stricter obligations, including minimum testing thresholds for national-team athletes. AIU Chairman David Howman stated, "The doping situation in India has been high-risk for a long time and, unfortunately, the quality of the domestic anti-doping programme is simply not proportionate to the doping risk." He emphasized that while the AFI has sought reforms, insufficient changes have occurred, prompting the AIU to collaborate with the AFI to improve the integrity of athletics. India, which is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and is bidding for the 2036 Olympics, has topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of doping offenders for three consecutive years. WADA President Witold Banka, during his recent visit to India, highlighted the easy availability of performance-enhancing drugs as a "serious problem" and sought assistance from India's federal police to disrupt supply chains. AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla confirmed that the federation is actively working with the AIU, the sports ministry, and India's National Anti-Doping Agency to combat doping. He stated, "AFI has got a strong plan and we are all for criminalising doping in this country." Sumariwalla noted the increase in athlete violations is a result of more rigorous testing, emphasizing the federation's commitment to policy creation and collaboration with law enforcement to tackle the issue.
Source: The Independent Sport - 2026-04-20