NEW DELHI: Indian athletes have once again ranked highest globally for doping violations, topping the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list for the third consecutive year. According to WADA’s latest report for 2024, India recorded 260 involvements in doping-related cases, the highest for any country.
The report, published on WADA’s website late Tuesday, comes at a sensitive time as India prepares to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030 and is actively pursuing a bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Concerns over widespread doping in Indian sport were earlier flagged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during an Indian delegation’s visit to Lausanne in July.
WADA data shows India accounted for 260 adverse analytical findings (AAFs), translating to a positivity rate of 3.6% — the highest among nations that conducted more than 5,000 tests. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) conducted 7,113 tests in 2024, including 6,576 urine and 537 blood samples. Of these, 253 urine samples and seven blood samples returned positive results.
NADA maintained that the figures reflect intensified testing rather than a surge in doping. In 2023, 213 samples tested positive from 5,606 tests. Comparatively, several leading sporting nations recorded significantly lower positivity rates despite higher testing volumes. France reported 91 violations from 11,744 samples (0.8%), Russia recorded 76 violations from 10,514 samples (0.7%), China had 43 positives from 24,214 samples (0.2%), while the US conducted 6,592 tests with a positivity rate of 1.1%.
The report underlined the depth of the doping problem in Indian sport and stressed the urgent need for stronger scientific, research and education systems. It also pointed to inadequate awareness among coaches, doctors and physiotherapists regarding performance-enhancing substances and medications.
Responding to the findings, NADA said the high numbers were a result of expanded testing and improved detection mechanisms. In 2025 so far, the agency has conducted 7,068 tests with a reduced positivity rate of 1.5%, accounting for 110 adverse results.
To address the issue, the Indian Olympic Association has constituted a new anti-doping panel, while the government has passed a national anti-doping law aimed at strengthening integrity and compliance across sports.
