Now Reading: Three CWG-selected Indian weightlifters accept doping bans
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Three CWG-selected Indian weightlifters accept doping bans
Three weightlifters selected for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games have accepted doping bans, dealing a fresh blow to Indian weightlifting. N Ajith (71kg) and Harcharan Singh (110kg) tested positive for human growth hormone…
The Story in Brief
Three weightlifters selected for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games have accepted doping bans, dealing a fresh blow to Indian weightlifting. N Ajith (71kg) and Harcharan Singh (110kg) tested positive for human growth hormone and received three-year bans. Vanshita Verma (77kg) tested positive for stanozolol and mestanolone and received a four-year ban. Heena (76kg) also accepted a three-year ban for stanozolol. All bans are backdated to May 2026 and run until 2029, ruling the athletes out of the Asian Games and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The fourth lifter, Sairaj Pardeshi, is contesting his provisional suspension and has alleged sabotage. The doping cases reduced India's weightlifting quota from 16 to 11, forcing the withdrawal of a clean lifter. India has the world's highest doping positivity rate among nations conducting over 5,000 tests, according to WADA's 2024 report.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative of 'yet another embarrassment' ignores a deeper rot: India's anti-doping system catches athletes but rarely deters them. These three accepted bans, yet the system did not prevent them from reaching the verge of a Games. The one-year reduction for accepting sanctions is standard, but it hardly inspires confidence. The real test is whether the ongoing probe into Sairaj Pardeshi's claim of a spiked supplement will uncover a coach complicit in sabotage, or whether it will be dismissed as an excuse.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
