IAS/UPSC Coaching Institute  

26 Dec 2025 : Doping menace

 Editorial 2: ​Doping menace

Context

India must ensure the National Anti-Doping Agency is adequately funded and institutionally independent.

 

Introduction

India’s ambition to emerge as a global sporting power is increasingly constrained by its persistent doping problem. Repeatedly topping global charts for dope-positive cases undermines credibility, especially as the country prepares to host major international events. Beyond statistics, the issue reflects deeper structural weaknesses in incentives, enforcement, and awareness within the sports ecosystem.

 

Doping as a credibility barrier

  • India’s ambition to emerge as a global sporting power is undermined by its record of being the top country in dope-positive cases for the third consecutive year.
  • With major events ahead—the 2029 World Police and Fire Games and the 2030 Centenary Commonwealth Games—this trend weakens prospects for a 2036 Olympics bid.
  • High doping rates risk damaging international trust and reputation.

 

What the data reveal

  • As per World Anti-Doping Agency (2024), India recorded 260 adverse analytical findings (AAFs) out of 7,113 tests (3.6% positivity).
  • France (91) and Italy (85) followed, while India ranked seventh in total testing volume.
  • Post-COVID trends show persistently high positivity: 3.2% (2022) and 3.8% (2023).

 

Official response and ground realities

  • National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) argues that higher positivity reflects expanded testing, highlighting 1.5% positivity in 2025 (till Dec 16).
  • Measures include awareness drives and the ‘Know Your Medicine’ app.
  • Yet, incidents of athletes evading tests and support staff suspensions point to a systemic malaise.

 

Structural incentives and the way forward

  • Sports quota jobs and large cash rewards for medals can incentivise shortcuts, despite health risks.
  • The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 strengthens the legal framework, but enforcement remains key.
  • Under scrutiny from the International Olympic Committee, India must ensure NADA’s independence, adequate funding, and scientifically advanced controls to decisively curb doping.

 

Conclusion

To protect its international reputation and Olympic aspirations, India must treat doping as a systemic challenge, not a peripheral lapse. Strong laws alone are insufficient without a truly independent NADA, adequate funding, and scientific capacity. Aligning athlete incentives with ethics and health, rather than shortcuts, is essential for sustaining trust, performance, and legitimacy on the world stage.