India's doping crisis is threatening its dream of hosting 2036 Olympics

Country's athletes have had one of the worst records in testing positive for banned substances

The International Olympic Committee early this month told India doping could jeopardise its bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. The problem is severe and the government recently tabled a Bill in Parliament to grant greater independence to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

 

The Bill amends the National Anti-Doping Act of 2022, which could not be implemented due to World Anti-Doping Agency’s concerns about “government interference” in NADA.

 

Of the major nations that each collected more than a thousand samples to test for doping in 2023, India had the highest positive share (3.8 per cent). In the last 10 years,