India Plans Further Anti-Doping Law Amendment to Strengthen Action Against Violations
Addressing the third formal meeting of the COP10 Bureau and the fourth formal meeting of the Fund’s Approval Committee for 2026-27 under the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport, Mandaviya reaffirmed India’s commitment to clean sport and outlined measures to strengthen the country’s anti-doping system.
He said the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, and its 2025 Amendment came into force in July 2026, strengthening the legal and institutional framework to tackle doping.
During 2025-26, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) conducted more than 7,000 tests and over 350 education and awareness sessions, reaching 27,000 participants, while focusing on risk-based testing and intelligence-led investigations, he said.
The Know Your Medicine mobile application has recorded more than five lakh searches, helping athletes make informed decisions about medicines.
Mandaviya also highlighted a forthcoming tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports and Education, and UNESCO, to introduce the Sport Values in Every Classroom Toolkit in India to promote sporting values, ethics and integrity among students.
The meeting discussed international cooperation against doping, the responsibilities of public authorities in the global anti-doping framework, anti-doping education, academic research, resource mobilisation and capacity-building.
The deliberations also covered compliance measures and the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport’s Operational Strategy for 2026-2031.
The meeting was attended by Farid Gayibov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and Chairperson of the COP10 Bureau; Luke McCann, Chairperson of the Fund’s Approval Committee; Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary (Sports) and Vice-Chairperson of the COP10 Bureau; Gustavo Merino, UNESCO Director for Social Policies and Inclusion; and committee members from Zambia, Spain and Russia.
