Prominent Names Sidelined And Dropped From India’s Asian Games Squad Amid Anti-Doping Crackdown
India’s preparations for the Asian Games have been hit by a string of doping violations, with as many as 12 athletes missing out on the trip to Japan due to anti-doping violations and provisional suspensions. Wushu player Surya Bhanupratap Singh is the latest to be affected after testing positive for the prohibited substance Enobosarm. Judoka Arun Kumar was withdrawn after testing positive for an anabolic steroid, while fellow judoka Tulika Maan was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency following accumulated whereabouts failures. Both judokas had already been ruled out of India’s Commonwealth Games squad following their respective anti-doping violations, meaning they could not be considered for the Asian Games squad either. The list of athletes missing out also includes four weightlifters -- N Ajith, Sairaj Pardeshi, Harcharan Singh and Vanshita Verma -- shooter Gaurav Kumar Masoori, rower Lakshya, wrestlers Mukul Dahiya and Deepanshu, and runner Abhishek Pal.
Asian Games-bound long-distance runner Abhishek Pal has been served a notice by NADA over an apparent doping violation. However, he has not been provisionally suspended and remains in India’s athletics squad for the 5000m and 10,000m events. File Photo/X
Wushu player Surya Bhanu Pratap Singh has tested positive for Enobosarm (Ostarine), a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) linked to muscle and bone growth. File Photo/Instagram
Mukul Dahiya provisionally suspended after testing positive for the stimulant mephentermine ahead of the Asian Games. | Photo: moglidahiya1327/Instagram
Chirag Chikkara served a disciplinary notice and faced potential penalties due to accumulating three whereabouts failures | Photo: IndianOilcl/X
Lakshya provisionally suspended after testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol | Photo: officialmrindia/Instagram
Arun Kumar withdrawn and provisionally suspended after testing positive for an anabolic steroid | Photo: www.ijf.org
Tulika Mann provisionally suspended after accumulating three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period | Photo: tulika_maan/X
Published At: