“We Hear Indian Athletes Running Away During Doping Control”: ITA Chief Raises Concerns

The head of the International Testing Agency (ITA), the body responsible for managing anti-doping programmes at the Olympic Games and other major global events, has raised concerns over the high rate of doping cases in India and reports of athletes receiving advance notice before testing.

ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen stated in a report that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has conveyed that India must undertake significant governance and structural reforms if it hopes to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

"We're concerned in general with the state of doping in India and we're hearing a lot of things happening on the ground," Cohen was quoted as saying by The Athletic, the sports arm of The New York Times.

"We also hear stories of athletes running away when there is a doping control, and we hear of advance notice being given prior to testing."

Apart from overseeing anti-doping tests on behalf of the IOC, the Lausanne-based ITA also manages anti-doping programmes for nearly 50 international sports federations.

Cohen revealed that he recently met officials from the New Delhi-based National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) during the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. He noted that he was encouraged by their willingness to collaborate with the ITA.

However, he also acknowledged that deeper collaboration may not be easy, as joining forces with the ITA could be perceived domestically as an admission that India's current anti-doping system has shortcomings.

"I'm going to be frank: there is still some resistance to engage with the ITA, as there can be a perception in India that this is almost an admission of failure of the system, or that they're not seen as competent enough to deal with their own problems," Cohen said.

"There's some scepticism about how it will be perceived in the Indian community. But I think they are on the right track. It is now clear that the IOA and the Ministry of Sports want to take action and invest resources, so I believe it is only a matter of time."

The ITA works with an expanding network of National Anti-Doping Organisations worldwide, sharing intelligence, coordinating testing strategies, and collaborating on investigations, including sample collection and athlete education initiatives.

India has topped the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of doping offenders for three consecutive years, recording the highest positivity rate among major nations.

The country is scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and has also expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games in the Gujarat city.

Meanwhile, Doha is also among the contenders for the 2036 Olympics, with the host city expected to be announced before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Last month, Witold Banka stated during the Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) conference in New Delhi that "nobody is blind" to India's serious doping problem, while also acknowledging the country's recent efforts to address the issue.

He also noted that India is among the largest producers of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and steroids globally.

The ITA was established in 2018 as a non-profit foundation under the supervision of WADA and the IOC, with the goal of improving independence, expertise, and transparency in the global fight against doping.

[with inputs from PTI]