New Delhi, India's Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced plans to introduce legislation that would criminalise the trafficking and administration of prohibited performance-enhancing substances to athletes.
Speaking at the World Anti-Doping Agency's Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network Final Conference, Mandaviya stated that India, which has topped the global list of dope offenders for the past three years, would aggressively tackle the issue.
Currently, India does not have penal provisions to tackle the supply of banned substances to athletes, with disciplinary action limited to bans that can last up to a lifetime depending on the degree of the offence.
Mandaviya stressed that doping is no longer an individual conduct, but an organised multi-national enterprise that undermines sport as India becomes a global sporting hub.
India has undertaken proactive reforms to prevent doping, with a significant expansion of anti-doping testing from around 4,000 tests in 2019 to approximately 8,000 tests in the past year.
Mandaviya noted a significant decline in adverse analytical findings, from 5.6 per cent in 2019 to less than two per cent currently, reflecting the impact of sustained awareness and preventive efforts.
