‘We Have to Walk the Talk’: Viren Rasquinha Stresses Early Anti-Doping Education To Prevent Substance abuse

New Delhi, Sep 17: India's preparations for the 2026 Asian Games have been overshadowed by a string of doping cases, with nearly a dozen athletes affected ahead of the continental event in Nagoya. The setbacks have reduced the size of India's contingent, with several athletes, including former Asian Games medallists, set to miss the competition.

Among those affected are Wushu athlete Surya Bhanupratap Singh, long-distance runner Abhishek Pal, Greco-Roman wrestlers Deepak and Deepanshu, freestyle wrestler Mukul Dahiya, shooter Gaurav Kumar Masoori and rower Lakshay. India had returned from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with a record 107 medals, raising questions about how the reduced contingent could impact the country's medal tally this time around.

However, former India hockey defender Viren Rasquinha believes the bigger concern lies beyond the numbers on the medal table. Speaking during a media roundtable ahead of the Asian Games, Rasquinha said the doping cases should be viewed as part of a wider challenge facing Indian sport.

"By the way, I don't think any of the athletes who were involved in doping were particularly serious medal contenders or favourites," Rasquinha said. "But I think it's a larger issue of doping in the country that we need to be concerned about."

Rasquinha Calls for Grassroots Anti-Doping Education

Rasquinha believes tackling doping cannot rest solely with the country's anti-doping authorities and instead requires a coordinated effort across India's sporting ecosystem. He stressed that athletes need to understand the risks of doping from an early age, with coaches, academies and federations playing a central role.

"There is no foolproof way to address it. For me, it requires massive education of athletes and coaches at every single level," he said. "It simply cannot be Sai's responsibility alone. It has to be the responsibility of every coach, every academy and every National Sports Federation, right from the junior and grassroots levels."

With India also targeting a stronger sporting system ahead of its 2036 Olympic ambitions, Rasquinha believes anti-doping education should become a key part of that long-term vision. He also called for tougher measures and increased testing among young athletes.

"Every National Sports Federation has to take this very seriously. We have to walk the talk and actually implement these measures at the ground level," he said.

For Rasquinha, the current cases should therefore serve as a warning beyond the immediate disruption to India's Asian Games campaign: preventing doping will require sustained work long before athletes reach the biggest stages.

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