India’s Asiad 2026 campaign suffers another doping blow; cases rise to 12 | Other Sports News

India’s preparations for the 2026 Asian Games have suffered another doping setback, with wushu medal hopeful Surya Bhanupratap Singh becoming the latest athlete to be caught in an anti-doping case ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

The 30-year-old wushu player from Jammu and Kashmir has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for Enobosarm, also known as Ostarine. Bhanupratap has subsequently been dropped from India’s Asian Games squad, with his name deleted from the government-approved final contingent.

His case takes the number of Indian athletes who have failed dope tests since the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games to 12, adding to concerns over India’s preparations just weeks before the Asian Games begin on September 19.

Bhanupratap tests positive for Ostarine

Bhanupratap tested positive for Enobosarm (Ostarine), a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) associated with muscle and bone development.

Ostarine is prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances and is classified under S1.2, or other anabolic agents. The substance is prohibited at all times under the anti-doping framework.

From Asian Games medallist to missing the 2026 Games

Bhanupratap was not an outsider to the Asian Games setup. The 30-year-old was a bronze medallist in the men’s 60kg Sanda event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, making his exclusion particularly significant for India’s wushu campaign.

He had been expected to be among India’s medal contenders in wushu at Aichi-Nagoya. Instead, the doping case has forced his removal from the contingent at a crucial stage of preparations.

The immediate sporting consequence is therefore clear: India will head into the Games without one of its experienced wushu athletes.

Why the case matters beyond wushu

Bhanupratap’s case is the latest in a growing series of doping-related setbacks involving India’s Asian Games-bound athletes.

His addition takes the number of Indian athletes who have failed dope tests since the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games to 12, with cases spread across several sports.

The list includes four weightlifters, N Ajith, Sairaj Pardeshi, Harcharan Singh and Vanshita Verma; two judokas, Arun Kumar and Tulika Maan; shooter Gaurav Kumar Masoori; rower Lakshya; wrestlers Mukul Dahiya and Deepanshu; runner Abhishek Pal; and now Bhanupratap.

The cases have already had sporting consequences in some disciplines, including the loss of competition places and changes to India’s Asian Games squad.

An unwanted pattern before Aichi-Nagoya

The latest development comes at an especially difficult time for the Indian contingent, with the Asian Games scheduled to begin on September 19 and run until October 4.

The Olympic Council of Asia had highlighted anti-doping preparations ahead of the Games, including risk-based out-of-competition testing and anti-doping education for athletes and coaches.

For India, however, the final phase of preparations has increasingly been accompanied by doping-related disruptions.

Bhanupratap’s case is different from an already concluded anti-doping sanction: he has been provisionally suspended following the positive test, while the case proceeds through the relevant process. NADA’s anti-doping system provides for adjudication of alleged anti-doping rule violations through its disciplinary and appeal panels.

For now, though, the sporting impact is already being felt. A wushu medal hopeful is out of India’s Asian Games squad, and the country’s tally of doping cases since the Glasgow Commonwealth Games has climbed to 12- another unwanted development as Aichi-Nagoya draws closer.