India has been added to the list of countries including Russia where there is a “very high” risk of doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Monday.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) joins the likes of Russia, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Ukraine in AIU’s top-tier Division A after being moved from Division B.
Category A means that Indian athletes must now comply with stricter anti-doping requirements, including lower testing standards for national team athletes, the AIU said.
The world’s most populous country was ranked in the top two for the most serious anti-doping violations in athletics between 2022 and 2025, it added.
“The state of doping in India has been dangerous for a long time and, unfortunately, the quality of the domestic anti-doping program is not commensurate with the danger,” AIU chairman David Howman said.
“While AFI has advocated for anti-doping reforms within India, there has not been enough change.
