India scores inglorious hat-trick in doping
India have once again topped the global list for dope violations, with 260 athletes testing positive, according to a WADA report.
New Delhi: For the third consecutive year, India have achieved a shameful hat-trick for the highest number of dope cheats in the world. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published its annual report for 2024 on Tuesday.
According to the data, 260 Indian athletes tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs last year. Apart from India, no other country in the world had dope cheats in triple digits.
India's positivity ratio was also the highest in the world, which is 3.6 per cent. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) collected 7,113 samples of urine and blood, out of which 260 were positive. China conducted 24,214 tests and had just 43 positive cases.
Apart from China, Germany collected 15,081 tests and only 54 were positive, France conducted 11,744 tests, and 91 returned positive, Russia collected 10,514 samples, out of which 76 were positive, Italy conducted 9,304 tests, and 85 were positive, and the UK collected 8,273 tests, and only 30 returned positive.
India also topped the global doping list in 2023, with 213 athletes testing positive. The increase in the number of Indian athletes consuming banned substances to boost their performances is a worrying sign for the country, and it also undermines the credibility of their achievements.
The WADA's data showed that almost 1 in every 5 Indian athletes tested by the NADA during a competition was dope positive. 76 Indians out of the 260 dope cheats were track and field athletes. Weightlifting was second on the list with 43 cases, while wrestling was third with 29 instances.
'To tackle the menace of doping in sports, NADA India increased the number of tests'
The NADA India said in a statement that in recent years, India has witnessed a significant strengthening of its anti-doping framework.
"To tackle the menace of doping in sports, NADA India has not only increased the number of tests but also increased the emphasis on education and awareness,” the government-funded body said in a statement.
The statement further added that the number of dope tests has increased from 4,004 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024, underlining that the positivity rate has decreased during the corresponding period from 5.6 per cent to 3.6 per cent.
It also said that as of December 16, 2025, the number of tests conducted this year was 7,068, with 110 positive cases – coming to 1.5 percent.