India’s push for Clean Sport and zero tolerance for doping has been reinforced through a series of robust, government-led reforms, with expanded testing, stronger laws and nationwide education initiatives forming the backbone of its anti-doping framework. These efforts came into light following the release of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Anti-Doping Testing Figures Report for 2024 on December 16, 2025.
While the report indicates that India recorded a high number of positive cases in absolute terms, this outcome reflects the country’s significantly expanded and more transparent testing regime rather than a rise in doping prevalence. India has nearly doubled the number of anti-doping tests conducted annually over the past decade, increasing from around 4,000 tests prior to 2014 to more than 7,000 tests each year.
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Importantly, this expansion has been accompanied by a consistent decline in the positivity rate, from 5.3 per cent in 2019 to around 1.5 per cent in 2025, demonstrating the effectiveness of education, deterrence and compliance measures.
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A major pillar of India’s anti-doping drive is strong statutory backing. The National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 provides legal enforceability, institutional autonomy and protection of athlete rights, while the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 further strengthens transparency, accountability and operational independence.
Clean sport has also been embedded as a core principle of national sports governance through the Khelo Bharat Niti, placing ethical competition and zero tolerance for doping at the heart of athlete development.
Education and awareness have been scaled up nationwide with strong government support. In 2024 alone, around 280 anti-doping workshops were conducted across competitions and training camps, reaching nearly 37,000 athletes and support personnel.
By December 2025, more than 300 additional awareness programmes, including webinars, seminars, media sessions, ADEL courses and large-scale outreach campaigns, had been delivered. Anti-doping education is now an integral part of major multi-sport events such as the National Games and Khelo India Youth and University Games.
Technology-led prevention has emerged as another key strength. The ‘Know Your Medicine’ (KYM) mobile application, actively promoted by the government, allows athletes to verify medications in real time.
By 2025, the app had recorded over 4.3 lakh searches, significantly reducing the risk of inadvertent doping. Complementing this, India has established first-of-its-kind national infrastructure for nutritional supplement testing at NFSU Gandhinagar and NIPER Hyderabad to address contamination risks.
The government has also invested heavily in capacity building, increasing the number of trained Doping Control Officers and ensuring professional, nationwide sample collection. Budgetary support for anti-doping has risen sharply, from Rs 2-3 crore a decade ago to over Rs 24 crore in 2025–26, enabling expanded testing, education initiatives and digital outreach.
At the international level, India remains fully aligned with WADA and UNESCO conventions, has hosted major intelligence and investigations workshops, and continues to play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region. Together, these comprehensive measures highlight India’s proactive, transparent and future-ready approach to safeguarding clean sport and reinforcing trust in its sporting ecosystem.
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