Doping

Russian tennis star Daniil Savelev suspended for 2 years for doping

Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev has accepted a two-year suspension for doping, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday. The ITIA said that Savelev tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium in July 2024. He has been provisionally suspended since August of this year. That means his suspension will end in August 2026. Savelev had reached a career-high world doubles ranking of 1,486 in August 2022. The ITIA said that it believed that Savelev had not intentionally taken the banned substance, saying that Savelev admitted to ingesting meldonium tablets, confusing family medication for supplements of a similar appearance. The doping watchdog said that Savelev agreed to accept the suspension since he did not take any steps to mitigate the rules violation.

Bajrang Punia accuses BJP of vindictive politics on Nada suspension

Suspended for four years due to his "refusal" to provide sample for dope test, Olympic medallist Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia on Wednesday said it was a vindictive move by the government which would quash the ban if he joins the BJP. NADA said Bajrang violated the rules by refusing to give sample during selection trials for the national team on March 10. The anti-doping body had first suspended the Tokyo Games bronze medallist wrestler on April 23 for the offence following which, the sport's world governing body UWW had also slapped him with a suspension. "It is not shocking because this issue about trial has been going on for last one year. I have said in the past too that I have not refused to give sample to NADA. When they visited my home to conduct the dope test, they came with an expiry kit (in December, 2023). I have also posted this on social media," Barjrang told reporters. Punia, along with fellow wrestler and Olympian Vinesh Phogat, have joined the Congress Party earlier

HC seeks NADA's reply on plea by wrestler Bajrang Punia against suspension

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stand of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on a petition by wrestler Bajrang Punia challenging his suspension. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to the agency on the plea which has been filed ahead of the Senior World Wrestling Championships to be held in Albania in October. As the senior counsel appearing for the athlete pressed for an interim relief, the judge remarked that no formal application has been filed for the same. "This is a classic case of hounding someone...World Championship is round the corner. I have to practice," senior advocate Rajiv Dutta said. The court, however, questioned Punia on his refusal to submit a sample for the testing, asking, "how will they let you play if you don't test". Punia's counsel asserted that there were issues concerning the use of an "outdated kit" and he has sought answers from authorities. The counsel for NADA said a disciplinary panel has been constituted, which is looking into the

Jannik Sinner doping controversy explained: Why was Sinner's ban revoked?

The Italian tennis star said that his fitness trainer had purchased an over-the-counter spray that contained Clostebol. The spray was used to heal a cut on his finger

Michael Phelps calls for a lifetime ban for anyone who's caught doping

In the wake of a Chinese doping scandal, Michael Phelps doubled down Monday on his support for tougher sanctions including a lifetime ban for anyone who tests positive for a banned substance. If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry, Phelps said. I believe one and done. The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics have acknowledged that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The results were not made public until media reports surfaced this year, with both bodies accepting the Chinese explanation that the positive tests were caused by tainted food. Nine of those swimmers won medals - several as part of relay teams - n Paris, leading British star Adam Peaty to gripe that the playing field was not even. Phelps reiterated those sentiments, saying the Chinese swimmers who tested positive should not have been allowed to compete in either Tokyo or Paris. Or anywhere else, for that .

Olympics: Zhang hopes Chinese swimmers will be seen as clean after tests

Zhang Yufei hopes her international rivals will believe she is competing clean after the Chinese swimming star estimates she took between 20 and 30 drug tests monthly in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. I don't think there's a single athlete, Chinese or foreign, who would test positive for doping. They would not want to destroy all the hard work they've put in over the years on doping, Zhang told reporters in the mixed zone Saturday when she was the top qualifier for the 100-meter butterfly final. She won her preliminary race in 56.50 seconds during the first day of the swimming competition at Paris La Defense Arena. She said afterwards she is anxious about what her friends and competitors in the swimming world are thinking about Zhang and others from the Chinese team. Zhang said she and her teammates have tested three to four days a week in the past couple of months leading up to the Paris Games and in the wake of a doping scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers including Zhang .

Katie Ledecky hopes clean races at Olympics after Chinese doping scandal

Katie Ledecky hopes for clean races at the Olympics. Hope was just about as far as she was willing to go on Wednesday. The US swimming star is looking to add to her six individual gold medals when she races in the 400, 800 and 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Her schedule begins with the loaded 400 on Saturday, including Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh. The 27-year-old Ledecky is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics. But, it's the first one since a doping scandal involving nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games and were allowed to compete with no ramifications. The controversy has raised major concerns about the seriousness of anti-doping efforts. I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week, Ledecky said. But, what really matters also is: Were they training clean? Hopefully, that's been the case. Hopefully, there's been even testing around the world. There is an ongoing US investigation of the

Two Rio Olympics weightlifters return adverse results from 2016 samples

Weightlifters Mohamed Mahmoud of Egypt and Alexandr Spac of Moldova have returned adverse analytical findings from retests of samples from the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to the International Testing Agency. The ITA announced Wednesday that Mahmoud, the bronze medalist in the men's 77kg division, and Spac, who finished fifth, each tested positive for a non-specified banned substance from the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list. They have the right to request a B-sample analysis. If a B-sample analysis is not requested, it is considered a doping violation. Neither Mahmoud nor Spac, who also failed a drug test at the 2017 European weightlifting championships, will compete at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The gold medalist from that division while setting a world record, Nijat Rahimov of Kazakhstan was already disqualified for doping two years ago. Eight years ago, Mahmoud questioned Rahimov, saying at the time, "Maybe after some doping controls, some things will change." Doping

Wrestler Bajrang Punia calls Nada arrogant, says he is being targeted

Wrestler Bajrang Punia on Monday alleged that NADA was targeting him for pointing out flaws in their system and vowed to challenge the arrogance of the National Anti-Doping Agency, which he claimed wants to end his sporting career. Bajrang was suspended by NADA for the second time on June 24 after the wrestler got relief from the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) of the agency. The ADDP had lifted the first suspension on the grounds that NADA had not officially charged him for doping by serving the wrestler a formal notice. NADA then issued the notice to the Tokyo Games medallist and suspended him again. "This shows how NADA is targeting me, they don't want me to continue wrestling at any cost," Bajrang posted on X. Bajrang was suspended for refusing to provide his sample during the selection trials held in Sonepat on March 10. He had lost the trials and thus missed out on the chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old multiple-time World Championship medallist

Ex-Olympic pole vault champion Braz banned for doping, to miss Paris Games

Olympic pole vault gold medalist Thiago Braz was banned for 16 months for doping and will miss the Paris Games, track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit said on Tuesday. Braz won the Olympic title at his home Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 and took bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The 30-year-old Braz's ban expires in November and he has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the AIU said. Braz claimed his positive test for ostarine was caused by a contaminated nutritional supplement and the anti-doping tribunal judges accepted by a 2-1 verdict he was not at significant fault, the AIU said. The track and field investigation unit said it would consider an appeal to CAS after asking the first tribunal to impose a four-year ban. Braz was reckless and acted with indirect intent, the AIU said, because he was aware of concerns with Brazilian pharmacies and manifestly disregarded that risk. He tested positive at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm last July, several

India tops list of doping offenders in 2022: WADA anti-doping report

South Africa follows India as countries with the highest number of athletes testing positive for banned substances

India 2nd worst country in WADA's 10-year study of positive doping cases

India was on Wednesday named as the second worst country in a 10-year global study of positive doping cases by minors conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Russia toped the list, followed by India and China, in the report published by the WADA on Wednesday on the findings of Operation Refuge', a broad analysis and examination of doping amongst minors in sport. "Countries with the most positive tests reported against Minors were (in descending order) Russia, India, and China. Countries with the most sanctioned Minors were Russia, India, and China," the WADA said in the report. "The Prohibited Substances most detected in Minors from those countries were, respectively, Furosemide, Nandrolone (or its precursors), 15 and Clenbuterol. "The Prohibited Substances most responsible for the sanctions in those countries were, respectively, Furosemide, Stanozolol, 21 and Clenbuterol," the world's anti-doping watchdog said about the three worst countries as far as doping by minors is ...

3 National Games participants among 11 to get reduced 3-year ban for doping

Three National Games participants were among 11 sportspersons, who ended up getting reduced sanctions for failed dope tests after admitting to their offence within 20 days of being charged, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has revealed. Liable to be banned for four years, their sentence was reduced by one year due to early acceptance of guilt earlier this month. Their names appeared in the latest NADA list of those who were handed reduced sanctions of three years under Article 10.8 of the NADA Rules. Kamaljeet Kaur (100m and 200m), Ajay Kumar (5000m and 10000m) and Harjodhvir Singh (5000m and 10000m) are the three track-and-field athletes, who failed dope tests in the October 25-November 9 National Games in Goa. Article 10.8.1 of the NADA Anti-Doping Rules allows athletes charged with a four-year ban to benefit from a one year reduction if they admit the violation and accept the penalty within 20 days of being charged. Article 10.8.2 provides an opportunity for the athlete to

National Games 2023: More than 20 athletes fail dope tests in Goa edition

More than 20 athletes from various sports have returned positive for banned drugs in tests conducted during the National Games in Goa in October-November in one of the biggest heaps of doping cases in the country. Most of the 20-odd dope offenders have been handed provisional suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which had collected dope samples from the participants in the October 25 to November 9 multi-sport event. Many have won medals in the Games while there were a few international players. There were nine track and field athletes and seven weightlifters among the dope offenders, according to sources. The most prominent of the seven weightlifters who failed dope tests was Vandana Gupta, a double bronze-medal winner in the Commonwealth Championships. "Yes, seven weightlifters have failed dope tests during the Goa National Games and there could be more in the coming days," a source from the Indian Weightlifting Federation told PTI. The 29-year-old Vandana, from

This 100-metre race in Delhi saw only one athlete turn up. Here is why

The number of athletes fell by half after doping control officers of NADA reached the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Mikael Ymer announces retirement from tennis after failing to overturn ban

Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer has abruptly announced his retirement at the age of 24 after an unsuccessful attempt to overturn an anti-doping suspension. I've decided to retire from professional tennis. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been! I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition, Ymer wrote on social media on Friday. Ymer was charged in January 2022 for missing three out-of-competition tests in a 12-month period. He initially fought the charges and said he had been cleared by an independent tribunal in June 2022. But the ITF appealed the decision, after which the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July partially upheld the two-year ban and imposed an 18-month suspension. Having already been cleared once, and wholeheartedly standing by the fact that I do not feel that the third offense was committed, I find their decision to try me again and subsequently find me guilty, unfair, Ymer wrote on Twitter in July. On top of that, I

Rattled by level 1 cancer attack, Dutee Chand living and training in fear

India's fastest woman runner Dutee Chand experienced the shock of her life when she was told by a doctor in November 2021 that level 1 cancer has attacked her body and she must quit the sport. That was after she failed to go past the preliminary round in the Tokyo Olympics women's 100m and 200m races. Sports Medicine expert Dr Sudeep Satpathy, a professor at the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Bhubaneswar, diagnosed the onset of level 1 cancer in Dutee's body. "I felt very scary, nervous, thinking what has happened to my life," Dutee told PTI from Bhubaneswar, recollecting the conversation she had with the doctor her after the MRI report. Doctor Satpathy was attached with the Indian hockey team at one point of time. Sharing her ordeal, Dutee said her problems began with a groin injury in 2021. "While competing in the National Inter-State Championships before the Tokyo Olympics (2021), I felt a lot of pain in the groin area. I consulted some doctors but the pain di

Doping: Sprinter Dutee Chand to file appeal after facing 4-year ban

For us, this is a clear case of unintentional consumption of a banned substance, says Dutee Chand's counsel after NADA's punishment

NADA Test: Ravindra Jadeja most tested Indian cricketer till now in 2023

Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gave dope samples thrice between January and May this year, making him the most tested cricketer during this period, according to data released by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). Altogether 55 cricketers (male and female, 58 samples) underwent dope testing in the first five months of this year, with more than half of the samples taken 'Out Of Competition' (OOC), according to a recent list put up by the NADA on its website. This meant that the number of samples collected from cricketers this year is expected to be much more than the previous two years. According to the data, the NADA had collected 54 and 60 samples respectively from the cricketers in 2021 and 2022 respectively. India captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli were not tested during the first five months of 2023. Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the India T20 International side for some time, underwent one test -- 'Out Of Competition' (OOC) urine sample in ...

Doping suspension lifted after samples didn't match, says Peter Bol

Olympic 800-meter finalist Peter Bol on Tuesday said his provisional doping suspension has been lifted after the A and B samples didn't match. Usually testing of the B sample confirms the original adverse finding in doping cases. I was just informed that my B sample did not match my A sample, Bol posted on Twitter. My provisional suspension has been lifted by Sport Integrity Australia. Sport Integrity Australia later confirmed testing of the B sample by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory showed an atypical finding, but that in itself is not the same as a negative test result. The investigation into the matter remains ongoing. Sport Integrity Australia will, as part of its investigation, proceed to consider whether any anti-doping rule violations have been committed, the government-backed agency said in a statement. It is not possible to provide a timeframe at this point. Bol repeated Tuesday that he's never taken banned performance-enhancing substances and he descr