Medal hopes dwindle: Doping crisis hits India ahead of Asian Games 2026

New Delhi: With just days remaining before the opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, India's national sports camps have been thrown into disarray by a surge of anti-doping violations. A total of 12 Indian athletes across wrestling, athletics, swimming, wushu, weightlifting, and judo have been suspended or dropped from the final contingent following adverse analytical findings. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) executed a series of stringent out-of-competition testing rounds, resulting in immediate roster exclusions on the eve of the delegation's departure.

High-Profile Exclusions Across Key Sports

The string of suspensions has removed several established medal prospects from the travelling squad. 2018 Jakarta Asian Games wushu bronze medallist Surya Bhanupratap Singh was provisionally suspended after testing positive for Enobosarm (Ostarine), forcing his removal from the official roster. Wrestling suffered an equally severe blow; three key wrestlers, freestyler Mukul Dahiya (86kg), alongside Greco-Roman competitors Deepanshu (130kg) and Deepak (67kg), were excluded following positive tests for prohibited substances including stanozolol and clomiphene. Furthermore, a 17-year-old Asian Games-bound swimmer was handed an 18-month suspension by NADA for terbutaline, alongside the withdrawal of long-distance runner Abhishek Pal and four national weightlifters.

Erosion of India’s Continental Tally Prospects

The sudden removal of 12 athletes leaves critical gaps in India’s entry list that cannot be refilled due to closed registration deadlines. The disqualification of the three wrestlers leaves multiple weight divisions completely unrepresented at Aichi-Nagoya, eliminating potential medal opportunities before bouts even commence. Combined with vacant slots in wushu, track and field, and weightlifting, these unfulfilled places directly jeopardise India’s ambition of matching its historic 107-medal benchmark from the 2022 Hangzhou Games, casting a shadow over the national campaign.

Athletes Suspended and Benched

Wrestling

Mukul Dahiya (men’s freestyle 86kg)

Deepak (Greco-Roman 67kg/60kg)

Deepanshu (Greco-Roman 130kg)

Swimming

17-year-old swimmer, name withheld

Wushu

Surya Bhanupratap Singh (2018 medalist)

Judo

Arun Kumar

Tulika Maan

Track & Field

Abhishek Pal (long-distance runner, 5000m/10,000m)

Weightlifting

N. Ajith, Sairaj Pardeshi,

Harcharan Singh

Vanshita Verma

Shooting and Rowing :

Gaurav Kumar Masoori (shooting)

Lakshya (rowing)