Multiple Khelo India Athletes Suspended
Several Khelo India medallists are among athletes suspended for anti-doping rule violations in a major crackdown by anti-doping agencies. The suspensions involve multiple sports and underscore persistent challenges in ensuring fair competition across Indian athletics.
This is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger trend. In the last three years, 1,342 athletes have been removed from the Khelo India program for reasons including doping violations and underperformance. During the same period, 2,905 new athletes were inducted into the scheme. The issue of doping has plagued the Khelo India Games since its inception. At the inaugural School Games in 2018, 12 athletes tested positive for banned substances, five of whom were gold medalists. The following year, six athletes at the Youth Games also failed dope tests. Recent cases involve prominent Khelo India athletes. Weightlifter Sankar Logeswaran, a gold medalist at the Khelo India University Games, was provisionally suspended for testing positive for the steroid Drostanolone. Another weightlifter, Khusboo Kumari, who also won gold at the University Games, was suspended after testing positive for ligandrol. The problem extends beyond the athletes themselves, with coaches also facing sanctions. Junior national athletics coach Ramesh Nagapuri was suspended for complicity after allegedly helping athletes evade testing. The Athletics Federation of India has announced it will now penalize coaches with sanctions similar to those given to their doping athletes. These suspensions come as India consistently ranks among the worst nations for doping violations. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), India recorded 260 doping cases in 2024, the highest of any country for the third consecutive year. This resulted in a positivity rate of 3.6%, significantly higher than other major sporting nations.
