India Ranks Third, Again, Among Worldwide Anti-Doping Rule Violators

Indian athletes have achieved a new high for the nation, and sadly this one is not something we should be happy about.

The 2015 Anti-Doping Rule Violations report, published by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday (3 April), has put India in the third place – for its large number of anti-doping violators – for the third consecutive year.

The report, the first since the revision of World Anti-Doping Code, illustrates doping offences committed by sportspersons globally during 2015. An anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) is a doping offence committed by an athlete or their support person which results in certain consequences or sanctions.

Among the 1,929 ADRVs, involving individuals from 122 nationalities and across 85 sports, India ranks third, with a record 117 athletes found guilty of and punished after testing positive for banned substances.

Preceded only by the Russian Federation (176) and Italy (129), the nations' numbers have sadly seen a phenomenal increase from 91 cases in 2013 and 96 in 2014. Weightlifting tops the list with 56 (24 females, 32 males) Indian lifters punished for doping, outdoing the previous topper, athletics, which has 21 offenders.