IOC flags doping, performance concerns as India officially enters Olympics 2036 race: Report

The Indian delegation which is currently in Lausanne, Switzerland to bid for India's hosting rights for 2036 Olympics, was asked to address the rampant doping issues that has plagued the Indian athletes, as per a report.

The IOC flagged doping concerns at the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) and country's poor performance at the Olympics, stated the report by Indian Express.

India is currently placed second in the list of countries with the most athletes currently ineligible to participate in international events.

According to data made available by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the year ending December 2024, Kenya tops the list with 119 cases while India is second at 108.

Russia is third in the countries with the most ineligible athletes at 73, as per reports. China, in contrast, has only 26 such cases, while the United States has only 16 such athletes.

There has been a steep rise in the number of ineligible athletes in the last two years in the top two offender countries -- Kenya and India.

It is this rise in the number of doping cases that has recently prompted two-time Olympic medallist in javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra to flag doping as a major concern for Indian athletics.

While Kenya and India had 54 and 65 ineligible athletes, respectively, in December 2022, the number surged to 119 and 108, respectively, in the same period in 2024.

All in all, it paints a worrying picture for sports in India and if the trend continues, this problem is going to tarnish the country's image further. It should be a matter of concern for authorities, especially when India has shown interest in hosting the Summer Olympics of 2036.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)