India records 78 doping cases till July 15; Uttar Pradesh, Punjab top list: Sports Minister Mandaviya

Published 20 July 2026 · politics

“India has recorded 78 doping cases till July 15, 2026 with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab accounting for the biggest share of 13 violations each so

“India has recorded 78 doping cases till July 15, 2026 with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab accounting for the biggest share of 13 violations each so far,” Sports Minister Manuskh Mandaviya revealed on Monday (July 20, 2026), in response to a query in Lok Sabha. After BJP MP Sambit Patra posed a query on the number of athletes who have tested positive for banned substances during the last three years, Mr. Mandaviya, in a written response, said 78 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) have been recorded so far in 2026. "These athletes have been banned from the Sports activities in accordance with the Anti-Doping Rules, 2021.

The sanctions, as determined by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) include disqualification of results, forfeiture of medals/prizes, period of ineligibility from participation in sports, and other consequences as prescribed under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code 2021," the Minister stated. In State-wise list of AAFs, it was revealed that after Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Madhya Pradesh threw up the highest number of dope offenders, 11 this year, followed by Karnataka, which had nine cases. In 2023, India reported 213 doping violations, which increased to 260 in 2024 before the number declined sharply to 131 in 2025. No dope violations have been found so far this year among athletes representing Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Sikkim.

The Minister then listed the awareness initiatives that have been undertaken to promote clean sports. "The government is implementing a comprehensive and sustained anti-doping awareness programme through Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standard for Education," he said. "NADA conducts year-round education and awareness activities through seminars, workshops, webinars, e-learning, digital campaigns, outreach programmes and the Play True Campaign targeting athletes, coaches, athlete support personnel and other stakeholders.” "NADA conducted 220 programmes in 2023, 280 in 2024, 343 in 2025 and 220 programmes up to 13 July 2026," he added. The Minister also said a proposal has been received to set up more testing laboratories to supplement the Dope Testing Laboratory.

"As regards setting up of new laboratories, this is subject to the accreditation criteria and approval of the WADA, which is the competent international body for according such accreditation," he said. India's doping record has been consistently poor over the years with the country topping the WADA's list of highest dope violations for the past three years.