INDIA HAS ONCE AGAIN emerged as the country with the highest number of athletes and support personnel serving sanctions for doping and related offences, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) June 2026 Global List of Ineligible Persons. With 162 individuals on the list, India remains at the top of the global rankings, underlining the continuing challenge of tackling doping in the country’s athletics ecosystem.
The AIU, the independent integrity body established by World Athletics to oversee anti-doping and integrity matters in athletics, publishes a consolidated list of individuals currently serving periods of ineligibility. The list includes not only athletes sanctioned for anti-doping rule violations but also coaches, support personnel and officials penalised for offences such as tampering with the doping control process, evading testing, trafficking prohibited substances and whereabouts failures.
According to the June update, India accounts for 162 active sanctions, ahead of Kenya with 148 and Russia with more than 60 cases. India first overtook Kenya in April this year and has retained the top position in the latest list, reflecting the scale of the country’s doping problem despite ongoing efforts to strengthen testing and enforcement.
The latest figures come just months after World Athletics classified India as an “extremely high-risk” country for doping. Following a review by the AIU Board, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was upgraded from Category B to Category A under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, placing it among the highest-risk member federations globally.
Category A status requires more stringent anti-doping measures, including a comprehensive annual testing programme for elite athletes, enhanced out-of-competition testing and greater compliance with the International Standard for Testing and Investigations. The AIU has said the reclassification reflects concerns that India’s domestic anti-doping programme is not proportionate to the country’s level of doping risk. AIU Chair David Howman previously stated that the quality of India’s anti-doping programme had not kept pace with the scale of the challenge.
The data also highlights a worrying trend over recent years. India ranked second globally with 48 Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) in 2022, second again with 63 cases in 2023, before climbing to first place with 71 cases in 2024. The country has continued to lead the global tally in 2025 with 30 recorded ADRVs, cementing its position among the nations facing the greatest anti-doping concerns in athletics.
The AIU reviews the risk profile of every World Athletics member federation every three years, although it retains the authority to revise a federation’s category at any time if circumstances warrant. The classification takes into account factors such as historical doping violations, the effectiveness of national anti-doping programmes and the conduct of athletes and support personnel.
The latest AIU report is expected to intensify scrutiny of India’s anti-doping framework at a time when the country is seeking to establish itself as a leading global sporting nation and expand its role as a host of major international events. Sports administrators and anti-doping authorities are likely to face renewed calls to strengthen testing, athlete education and enforcement mechanisms to restore confidence in the integrity of Indian athletics.
