An uptick in the number of offenders has taken India into the top-three of the world's biggest doping violators in a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report detailing the transgressions for the year 2019.  

In the latest report published by the World Anti-Doping Agency, 152 (17 per cent of the world total) Anti-doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) were reported in India in 2019, leaving it third in the list with the maximum dope offenders coming from bodybuilding (57). Among Olympic sports, weightlifting leads the way with 25 ADRVs, followed by athletics (20) and wrestling (10). Boxing and judo reported four ADRVs each. Four cricketers were also found to have committed ADRVs in 2019.

India is only behind Russia (167) and Italy (157), while Brazil (78) is at fourth and Iran (70) fifth.

What is WADA?

• The World Anti-Doping Agency was established in 1999 as an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) - the document harmonising anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries.

• The organisation’s headquarters is in Montreal, Canada.

• WADA is composed of a foundation board, an executive committee and several committees.

• The 38-member foundation board is WADA’s supreme decision-making body. It is composed equally of representatives from the Olympic Movement and governments.

• The foundation board delegates the actual management and running of the agency, including the performance of activities and the administration of assets, to the executive committee, WADA’s ultimate policy-making body.

• The 12-member executive committee is also composed equally of representatives from the Olympic Movement and governments.

• WADA’s presidency — a volunteer position — alternates between the Olympic Movement and governments.

• WADA’s committees act as advisory committees and provide guidance for the agency’s programmes.

Highlights of the report

• An ADRV is reported after a final decision has been rendered and a sanction (a reprimand or period of ineligibility) imposed against the athlete following the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.

• A total of 278,047 samples were collected by Anti-Doping Organisations worldwide in 2019, and subsequently, analysed by WADA-accredited laboratories. Of these samples, 2,701 (1 per cent) were reported as Adverse Analytical Findings.

• As many as 1,914 ADRVs were confirmed in 2019 involving individuals from 117 nationalities and across 89 sports.

• 1,537 of the ADRVs came out of Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs), commonly known as ‘positive’ results. The remainder were derived from investigations and evidence-based intelligence into 377 violations committed by athletes and athlete support personnel.

• Among Olympic sports worldwide, athletics leads the number of dope offenders with 227 (18 per cent), followed by weightlifting with 160. Bodybuilding leads overall with 272.

• Russia was banned from fielding its national team in the Tokyo Olympics for not complying with international anti-doping rules. The country now tops the violators’ list, reporting more cases than from the previous report of 2018. It had gone down to seventh in the 2017, with 57 ADRVs.

• In the previous WADA report meant for anti-doping violations in 2018, India was placed fourth with 107 ADRVs, behind Russia (144), Italy (132) and France (114). 

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