India Faces Serious Doping Problem, But Sincere Efforts Underway To Tackle It- WADA President Witold Banka

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka has acknowledged India's "serious" doping problem but expressed optimism about the country's efforts to tackle the issue following high-level meetings in New Delhi.

Speaking after discussions with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) officials, and senior investigators, Banka said that while India remains a major concern globally, steps taken in recent years indicate a commitment to reform.

"India has a serious problem, and nobody is blind to it," Banka said, noting that the country has topped WADA's list of doping offenders for three consecutive years. However, he added that authorities are making "sincere efforts" to improve compliance, particularly as India eyes hosting major global events like the 2030 Commonwealth Games and a potential 2036 Olympic bid.

A key focus of the visit was India's involvement in 'Operation Upstream', a global crackdown led by INTERPOL targeting suppliers of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The operation has already resulted in 250 raids, seizure of nearly 90 tonnes of banned substances-equivalent to around 1.8 billion doses, and the shutdown of 88 illegal laboratories across 20 countries.

Banka said intelligence-sharing discussions with agencies, including the CBI, are ongoing, though details remain confidential due to the scale of the operation.

Despite progress, WADA has urged India to further strengthen its anti-doping framework. NADA has doubled its testing numbers from around 4,000 in 2019 to nearly 8,000 in 2025, but this still falls short of countries like China, which conduct significantly higher annual tests.

Banka cautioned against interpreting lower positive cases as success. "If the numbers go down drastically, I would be very suspicious. More cases may be bad news publicly, but they indicate better surveillance," he explained, stressing that the focus should remain on process and enforcement rather than statistics alone.

Reiterating his long-standing stance, Banka also called for the criminalisation of doping, particularly targeting suppliers, coaches, and support staff rather than athletes. He emphasised that athletes are often victims in a larger network driven by profit and exploitation.

"Doping-related crime is transnational and increasingly sophisticated," he said, adding that traffickers often see PEDs as more profitable and less risky than narcotics. "We don't want athletes in jail-only those who are supplying and destroying careers should face strong consequences."

WADA officials underlined that eliminating doping may be unrealistic, but initiatives like Operation Upstream aim to make banned substances harder to access, thereby protecting athletes and the integrity of sport.