Indian judoka Arun Kumar has pulled out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games after failing a drug test

India’s Commonwealth Games contingent suffered a setback on the day of the Glasgow 2026 opening ceremony when judoka Arun Kumar withdrew from the competition after failing a doping test.The rising 73kg judoka was declared ineligible after an adverse analytical finding in an out-of-competition test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). His withdrawal reduces the number of Indian athletes from 125 to 124.Arun was one of India’s brightest medal prospects in judo after enjoying a rapid rise through the junior and senior ranks. Trained at the Inspire Institute of Sport, he won gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Cup, followed by another gold at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open and bronze at the Hong Kong Asian Open. He also finished seventh at the prestigious Tashkent Grand Slam earlier this year, earning his first Commonwealth Games selection.Arun’s withdrawal comes despite strict anti-doping tests carried out before the Games. Indian athletes underwent two rounds of testing before leaving for Glasgow, while those training overseas were tested in coordination with anti-doping agencies in their host countries.The heightened vigilance follows several recent doping cases, particularly in weightlifting, where several Indian weightlifters tested positive ahead of the Games, reducing the country’s weightlifting quota from 16 to 12 athletes.Along with NADA, the Athletics Integrity Unit and national sports federations monitored athletes and educated them about anti-doping rules before the Games.India initially cleared a 126-member contingent of athletes for Glasgow. Following recent withdrawals, including Arun Kumar, the country’s squad is now down to 124 competitors.