Impact on India's Bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board, an independent body under World Athletics, has downgraded the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) due to a "high" doping risk among Indian athletes. This decision requires Indian track and field athletes to adhere to stricter anti-doping regulations, impacting India's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. All national team members must be tested before major championships, with this development occurring as India prepares for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan.

Reasons for Downgrade

• India has been a high-risk nation for doping for a long time, with insufficient domestic anti-doping measures.
• Efforts by the AFI for anti-doping reforms have not been adequate.
• AIU will collaborate with AFI to implement reforms to protect athletics' integrity.

Statistics on Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs)

• Between 2002 and 2025, India was among the top two countries with the most ADRVs in athletics.
• India recorded 48 ADRVs in 2022 (2nd rank), 63 in 2023 (2nd rank), 71 in 2024 (1st rank), and 30 in 2025 so far (1st rank).
• India has the highest number of doping violations across all sports globally according to the 2024 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report.
• In 2024, 260 Indian athletes tested positive for banned substances, with a positivity ratio of 3.6%, one of the highest worldwide.

Comparison with Other Countries

• India conducted 7,113 tests with 260 positives.
• China conducted 24,214 tests with 43 positives.
• Other countries with more rigorous testing include: 
  1. Germany: 15,081 tests, 54 positives.
  2. France: 11,744 tests, 91 positives.
  3. Russia: 10,514 tests, 76 positives.
  4. Italy: 9,304 tests, 85 positives.
  5. UK: 8,273 tests, 30 positives.

Response and Future Actions

World Athletics vice-president and AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla views the AIU’s decision as a "good step" to clean up the system. He emphasizes the need for more intelligence gathering and testing at various levels, and supports criminalizing doping to act as a deterrent. The government is moving towards making doping a criminal offense, with suspension and arrests for coaches, suppliers, and distributors. Sumariwalla asserts that education efforts have been made, and now regulation is crucial.

World Athletics' Anti-Doping Rules

• According to Rule 15, athletes from 'Category A' federations must undergo adequate testing, including in-competition, no-notice out-of-competition, and pre-competition blood screenings.
• Responsibility for testing athletes residing or training abroad lies with the respective federation or anti-doping organization.
• All test samples must be analyzed by WADA-accredited laboratories.