India to criminalize doping, Asian Games not exhibition tour: govt sources

India’s government plans to change the country’s anti-doping law to criminalize doping, marking one of the biggest policy shifts in the country’s fight against performance-enhancing drugs.

Highly placed sources in the sports ministry told India Today that the proposed changes would for the first time go beyond punishing athletes and seek to prosecute the wider ecosystem that enables doping.

LEGISLATION TARGETED AT OTHER ATHLETES

The proposed legislation is expected to target coaches, trainers, support staff, suppliers and others involved in obtaining or administering banned substances to athletes, recognizing that doping is rarely an individual act but is supported by a larger network.

Currently, athletes found guilty of anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) face sporting sanctions such as suspensions and disqualifications under the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) code. The proposed law aims to add a criminal dimension to these violations by bringing those who facilitate doping under criminal law.

The move comes at a time when India continues to struggle with a serious doping problem, particularly in athletics.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), India has consistently ranked among the worst-performing countries worldwide in anti-doping violations over the past four years. The country recorded 212 ADRVs in athletics alone between 2022 and 2025, ranking in the top two each year and topping the global list in 2024 and 2025.

India has recorded 48 ADRVs in 2022, 63 in 2023, 71 in 2024 and so far 30 in 2025, numbers that prompted World Athletics to label the country as an “extremely high risk” country for doping earlier this year.

Based on this assessment, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) board reclassified the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) from Category B to the more stringent Category A under Rule 15 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, bringing Indian athletics under greater international scrutiny.

“Unfortunately, the quality of the domestic anti-doping program is simply not commensurate with the doping risk,” AIU President David Howman said in announcing the decision.

Concerns over India’s anti-doping ecosystem have also been expressed by international agencies.

“We are generally concerned about the state of doping in India and we hear a lot of things happening on the ground,” International Testing Agency CEO Benjamin Cohen said earlier this year.

This matter has repeatedly taken place on the domestic circuit as well.

At one track and field meet in New Delhi earlier this year, several sprinters reportedly fled the venue after anti-doping officials arrived to conduct in-competition tests, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing administrators.

The government’s proposed legislation is seen as part of a broader effort to restore confidence in India’s sports ecosystem as the country aggressively pursues major international events.

Over the past few years, India has significantly expanded its international sporting calendar and recently secured the rights to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The country is also bidding to host Diamond League meetings and has made no secret of its ambition to host the Olympics in the coming years.

While the infrastructure and organization of the events have earned recognition at the international level, doping continues to be one of the biggest issues related to Indian sports.

Sports Ministry officials believe that targeting athletes alone has not been enough to break the system that allows doping. The proposed legislation is expected to bring coaches, support staff and contractors under the criminal law and shift the focus from individual offenders to the networks that perpetuate the practice.

The Bill is currently being drafted and further details of its provisions are expected when it is formally introduced.

ASIAN GAMES IS NOT AN EXPOSURE

Meanwhile, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has made it clear that the Asian Games will not be considered an exposure tour for athletes seeking government jobs.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, July 3, the minister said that only those athletes who have a real chance of winning medals and making the country proud will be selected for the Games.

“Let me make one thing clear: The Asian Games is not an exhibition tour. It is a platform for athletes to make the country proud with their best performances. So, as I have repeatedly stated, only those who can do it will travel,” he said.

“Exposure can be gained elsewhere. It doesn’t have to be the Asian Games. Anyone who wants to get a job through participation certificates will not be fired. The Games are about performance and we will ensure that,” he said.

The Asian Games begin on September 19 and are scheduled to end on October 4, 2026. In the last edition of the games, India won 107 medals, their best tally in the history of the competition.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

03 Jul 2026 16:00 IST