IN A SIGNIFICANT MOVE aimed at strengthening India’s fight against doping, Union Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, has announced that the government is working towards criminalising the administration and trafficking of prohibited performance-enhancing substances to athletes.
Speaking at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) Conference in New Delhi, Mandaviya revealed that new legislation is being prepared to introduce criminal penalties for those involved in doping supply chains. Under the proposed framework, Athlete support personnel such as coaches, trainers, and medical staff, traffickers and suppliers of banned substances could face criminal prosecution, not just sporting sanctions.
India has topped the global list of dope offenders for the past three years, and the minister said there is a need to control it in an aggressive manner since it could directly affect India’s chances of hosting the Olympics in 2036.
At present, India’s anti-doping system largely relies on suspensions and bans (including lifetime bans in severe cases). There is no direct criminal liability for supplying or administering banned substances.
Mandaviya emphasised that doping is no longer an individual act but part of a larger organised network.
He said that doping has evolved into a “multi-national enterprise” and focus must shift to enablers and suppliers, not just athletes. Coaches encouraging doping could face strict legal consequences. This aligns with global thinking led by WADA, which has consistently argued that athletes are often victims, while the real culprits are those facilitating doping.
