Doping is a ‘big problem’ in India, global anti-doping body chief says

A crackdown on India’s performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) production – the biggest globally – is key to tackling the doping menace and protecting athletes, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka says. Banka and his team have been in New Delhi as part of their push to build stronger ties with national law and order agencies, including cybercrime cells, to help uphold the credibility of professional sport. WADA has sought help from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – federal police – to curtail the initial supply chain of racketeers and agents who peddle drugs.

“We see the problem of production of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) – India is the biggest producer of those illegal substances,” Banka told the AFP news agency. “That’s why we collaborate with CBI, with law enforcement, to try to destroy this market and to really protect the lives of athletes and the health of society,” he added. WADA has been aggressive in curbing the doping crisis with its Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) initiative since 2022.

An INTERPOL-backed “operation upstream” has been a success for WADA with 250 raids around the world, 88 illicit labs dismantled and almost 90 tonnes of PEDs seized. “We are here because India is the biggest population [1. 4 billion] and we see how important it is for the Indian authorities, and we see the need to strengthen the system here – it’s a common interest,” Gunter Younger, head of investigations for WADA, told AFP.

“For now, I see the appetite and willingness from the public authority side [in India] to work with us closely to address this issue. We know it’s not only about the doping of the athletes. ” Younger, a former head of the Bavarian Police’s Cybercrime Division, said to strike a blow against the doping menace the focus should be shifted from athletes to the suppliers of the PEDs.