India tops global doping violations list in 2023

India's persistent struggle with doping in sports has resurfaced once again with the World Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday (June 19) publishing the 2023 figures of doping violations.

Per the figures, in 2023, India's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) reported the highest number of doping violations globally, according to the latest figures released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Among nations that conducted over 5,000 tests, India recorded the highest positivity rate at 3.8%, with 214 adverse analytical findings (AAFs) from 5,606 samples. This marked a noticeable rise from 2022, when 3,865 tests returned a 3.2% positivity rate.

In comparison to global peers, India's figures stand out starkly.

China, which conducted a massive 28,197 tests, reported just a 0.2% AAF rate, while the USA (1.0%), France (0.9%), Germany (0.4%), and Russia (1.0%) all reported far fewer doping violations despite higher or comparable testing volumes.

India’s 214 violations dwarfed the figures reported by France (105), Russia (99), the USA (66), China (60), and Germany (57). In terms of global context, India accounted for over 11% of the total 1,820 positive doping cases from 204,809 tests conducted worldwide, the highest contribution by any nation.

Spike in testing and violations

Of the 5,606 samples tested in India in 2023, 2,748 were collected during competitions, indicating a proactive effort in targeting in-competition doping.

The National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in Delhi processed 6,077 samples, including those from neighboring countries. It posted a positivity rate of 3.63%, the highest among the 30 WADA-accredited labs globally.

Doping cases were most prevalent in athletics, which recorded 61 AAFs from 1,223 tests. This included 567 in-competition and 539 out-of-competition urine samples, as well as 117 blood samples. One AAF was reported from among the blood samples.

Weightlifting accounted for 38 AAFs from 451 samples, while powerlifting and wrestling contributed 28 and 10 AAFs respectively.

Government response: Restructuring laws and scaling awareness

The figures have prompted strong responses from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which acknowledged the issue and announced a major clean-up operation. A revised National Anti-Doping Act is expected to be reintroduced in Parliament after addressing certain WADA objections that delayed its implementation since being passed in 2022.

"Any amount of doping is unacceptable. But our testing is robust, and we’ve expanded our sample base. With stronger awareness campaigns, we aim to reduce these numbers in the next two years,” said a senior official from the ministry, in an interaction with the media. 

The revamped law grants the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) the authority akin to investigative bodies and enables it to collaborate with agencies like the CBI and INTERPOL. A recent workshop was conducted to train officers in interrogation techniques and tracing the supply chain of banned substances.

The ministry has also announced that monthly anti-doping awareness programs will become compulsory. Nutritional supplements, often a source of inadvertent doping, will be tested in labs in Gandhinagar and Delhi to check for prohibited substances.

Unintentional doping and socio-economic pressures

Experts within NADA and the ministry pointed out that many doping cases arise from ignorance or socio-economic pressures.

“Many young athletes, especially from rural or economically weaker backgrounds, end up taking banned substances unknowingly or in desperation to secure a national-level performance that might help them get a government job,” said a ministry source.

Efforts are underway to tackle this psychological and social dimension. Authorities are aiming to instill a deeper understanding among athletes of the long-term consequences of violating anti-doping rules.

While the absolute number of violations increased, NADA officials highlighted that the positivity rate has remained stable even with a higher volume of testing.

“We saw similar positivity when we tested 3,865 samples. Now, with over 1,700 more samples, the rate hasn’t spiked significantly. That’s a relative improvement,” said a NADA official to the media. 

However, officials unanimously agree that any level of doping is detrimental to India's ambitions of becoming a global sporting power.