NEW DELHI, India: India has been placed in the highest risk category for doping in athletics, with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) classifying the country as facing an “extremely high” threat of violations. The move means Indian athletes will now be subject to stricter anti-doping requirements.
The decision elevates the Athletics Federation of India to Category A — the AIU’s highest risk tier — alongside countries such as Russia, Kenya and Ethiopia. India had previously been listed in Category B.
The AIU said India ranked among the top two countries globally for anti-doping rule violations in athletics between 2022 and 2025, highlighting persistent challenges in tackling the issue.
“The doping situation in India has been high-risk for a long time and, unfortunately, the quality of the domestic anti-doping programme is simply not proportionate to the doping risk,” said AIU chair David Howman.
“While the AFI has advocated for anti-doping reforms within India, not enough has changed.
National authorities
“The AIU will now work with the AFI to achieve reforms to safeguard the integrity of the sport of athletics, as we have done with other Category A member federations.”
The development comes at a crucial time for India, which is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has ambitions to stage the 2036 Olympics.
Officials say efforts are underway to address the issue. AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said the federation is working with national authorities to strengthen enforcement and awareness.
“AFI has got a strong plan, and we are all for criminalising doping in this country,” he said.
“There’s nothing wrong in more scrutiny. More athletes are getting caught in India because more tests are being conducted.
“We are fighting it tooth and nail. The crooks and criminals doing it should be stopped by police. We are not police, our job is to create a policy, and the government is helping.”
