Drug use among Indian athletes puts country’s Olympic bid at risk

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The growing use of drugs among Indian athletes has shaken the country’s reputation, and the world’s worst doping criminals have pursued their ambitions to host the Olympics in 2036.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has raised concerns about the number of Indian rivals taking performance -growing medicines, and is the most famous athlete in the country.

The 2021 Olympic Javelin champion Neeraj Chopra made a two -pronged enrollment earlier this year.

“Doping is a major problem in our athletes,” he told local media.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) last month formed a new anti -doping panel after flagging the IOC record.

The government has passed a new national anti -doping bill aimed at tightening implementation, increasing testing facilities and “the highest standards of integrity” in sports.

“Obviously the IOC would like to make sure that a country has a strong doping policy and governance, giving sports award to a country,” Michael Paine, a former IOC marketing director, told AFP.

The World Anti -Doping Agency (WADA) adds to India among the worst criminals among the nations that offer more than a thousand samples.

India’s National Anti -Doping Agency, Nada, insists that these figures reflect more aggressive examination of 1.4 billion people in the nation.

With 5,606 samples collected in 2023, 213 positives returned.

Experts say artificial steroid stenosol is the most used substance by Indian players.

Carrier at stake

Despite its vast population, India has won only 10 Olympic gold medals in its history.

Experts say the disappointment of increasing it and avoiding poverty is one of the reasons why some Indian players are ready to take the risk of doping.

Success in sports can be a ticket for government jobs, often with police or armed forces.

It provides a lifetime financial protection after the elimination of sports careers.

“Athletes know that they may be punished, but still their career has been put at stake,” lawyer Surabh Mishra, who defended the players in the doping scandals.

“(They know) getting a medal will help them get a government job.”

Athletics guide India’s doping violations, followed by wrestling, where 19 athletes were recently banned.

In July, the U -23 Wrestling Champion and the quarter -final of the Paris Olympics, Retika Hoda, experienced positively and were temporarily suspended.

Mishra said some athletes are suffering from ignorance, use prohibited substances through supplements or medicines, but others are deliberately at risk.

Sometimes they are encouraged by their coaches.

Sports Medicine expert Sarajit Singh, who has written widely on doping in India, said the recent rise in violations has been partly due to a partial scrutiny.

Singh told AFP, “They cannot achieve the level of performance internationally and use prohibited drugs for a short cut.”

The major obstacles

Now India is facing the race to prove its credibility, as it competes with Indonesia, Turkey, Chile and Qatar in the 2036 games.

Former IOC Marketing Director Drink noted that many past Olympic hosts have checked doping history.

He said that although doping is a problem, India’s obstacles to holding the Olympics are somewhere else.

“The biggest problem is to trust the host’s overall operational delivery capabilities, and India has a lot of work there,” Pain said.

He was referring to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, whose memories are still delayed.

Drink said, “This is the biggest obstacle to India’s bid.