In a significant development, Asian Games bronze-medal-winning shot-putter Kiran Baliyan has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for a banned substance. Baliyan, who made history as only the second Indian woman to win a medal in shot put at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, tested positive for metandienone, an anabolic androgenic steroid. This substance is prohibited at all times, and the 25-year-old now faces the prospect of a maximum four-year ban if found guilty.
Baliyan’s doping suspension comes after a series of recent sporting accolades, including a gold at the 2023 National Inter-State Championships and a silver at the 2024 Federation Cup. Her case adds to the growing list of doping offenders, as multiple athletes from different disciplines have been implicated in NADA’s latest crackdown.
Notable Absence: Bajrang Punia
Interestingly, the name of Olympic bronze-medalist wrestler Bajrang Punia is missing from the latest list of doping offenders, even though he had been previously suspended by NADA. Punia, who had led a protest against Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had his suspension revoked by the Anti-Disciplinary Doping Panel (ADDP) on May 31, after appealing against the provisional suspension. The ADDP had revoked the ban until NADA could issue a formal notice of charge.
Punia was initially suspended on April 23 for refusing to provide a urine sample during selection trials held in Sonepat on March 10. The global wrestling body, United World Wrestling (UWW), had also suspended him, but his name was absent from this latest NADA list.
Other Athletes Implicated in Doping
Several other high-profile Indian athletes have found themselves facing similar doping charges. Hammer thrower Manju Bala, a bronze-medalist at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone (steroid) and SARMS LGD-4033 (ligandrol). Bala had been a dominant figure in her discipline until the suspension.
Shalini Chaudhary, who won silver at the 2024 Federation Cup, also tested positive for metandienone, while long-distance runner Chavi Yadav was caught using drostanolone, an anabolic steroid.
In wrestling, 2023 U20 World Championships bronze medalist Arju tested positive for stanozolol, another banned substance. Additionally, Badminton, which rarely sees doping cases, made headlines as Krishna Prasad Garaga, a doubles player and member of the 2022 Thomas Cup-winning Indian team, tested positive for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG).
Doping in Other Sports
Wushu athletes T Menaka Devi, Manjinder Singh, and Goutam Sharma also figured in the list, marking a surge in doping cases within the sport. Other athletes implicated include Bhupendra Singh Byadwal from pencak silat, Ashish Phugat from rowing, and Ribason Singh Ningthoujam from canoeing.
NADA’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on doping violations have spotlighted the increasing number of athletes across various sports disciplines testing positive for banned substances. These latest suspensions raise questions about the effectiveness of anti-doping measures and the pressures athletes face in competitive sports.
As these athletes await their hearings, the future of their careers hangs in the balance, and the consequences for Indian sports continue to unfold.