Wrestling to athletics: Doping cases cloud India’s Asian Games preparations | Other Sports News

The final stretch before a major multi-sport event is supposed to be about polishing performances, protecting fitness and making sure months of preparation come together at the right time. For India, however, the countdown to the 2026 Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan has brought a rather different concern into focus.

Doping cases have begun to leave their mark on the country’s contingent just days before the official start of the tournament on September 19.

Two wrestlers have lost their places. A shooter has been dropped and replaced. And now, an athlete who was expected to line up in two distance events is facing a doping notice of his own.

Abhishek Pal’s case is the latest and, for now, the least conclusive of the four. The Asian Games-bound distance runner has been served a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after a banned substance was detected in his sample. The substance was reportedly found in a very small quantity and is understood to potentially be a female fertility drug.

Pal has not been provisionally suspended, leaving his participation in the 5,000m and 10,000m in Japan hanging in the balance rather than ending it outright.

The development, however, adds to an increasingly uncomfortable backdrop for an Indian contingent preparing for one of the biggest sporting events on the calendar.

Pal’s spot for the Games under cloud

Just weeks ago, Pal’s biggest concern would have been how to arrive in Japan in the best possible shape.

His domestic season had given him every reason for confidence. He won the 10,000m and finished second in the 5,000m at the National Inter-State Championships in June, performances that helped secure his selection for both events.

There was international pedigree too. Pal had won bronze in the 10,000m at the 2023 Asian Championships and had spent time training in the United States as he sought to establish himself at the highest level.

Now, his preparations have been interrupted by an issue that has nothing to do with his running.

According to media reports, the banned substance was detected in a very small amount. Pal is expected to seek an investigation and an early resolution, particularly with the Asian Games approaching.

What happens next is crucial. A notice is not a final finding, and Pal has not been provisionally suspended. He therefore remains in contention to compete, provided the matter is resolved in his favour or he is otherwise cleared to take part.

For an athlete who had spent months working towards two Asian Games races, the uncertainty could hardly have arrived at a worse time.

Wrestling suffers double blow

In wrestling, there is no such uncertainty anymore. The two wrestlers who were found positive for doping violations, i.e., Mukul Dahiya and Deepanshu, have both been removed from India’s Asian Games squad, leaving the country without representation in two weight categories.

Dahiya’s case affects the men’s freestyle 86kg category. He had secured his place through the selection process and was among the wrestlers India was taking to the Games. His removal means the country will have no entry in the category.

Deepanshu’s case has had a similar consequence in Greco-Roman wrestling’s 130kg division.

But it has also drawn greater attention because of the nature of the offence. Deepanshu tested positive for stanozolol in an out-of-competition test, with the case reportedly being treated as a second anti-doping offence.

For Indian wrestling, the numbers tell part of the story: two athletes, two categories, two places gone.

Shooting also took a hit

One of India’s best medal-producing sports in the Asian Games, shooting also suffered a doping blow ahead of the Asian Games 2026.

Gaurav Kumar Masoori was removed from the shooting squad following a doping offence involving propranolol. The 10m air pistol shooter had been part of India’s Asian Games plans, but his exclusion meant the selection process had to be revisited.

Akash Bharadwaj was subsequently brought into the squad as his replacement.

Masoori’s case, like the others, will have to go through the anti-doping process. But the immediate sporting consequence is already clear: one athlete’s place in India’s Asian Games team has changed hands.

And that is what makes the recent cases more significant than four separate disciplinary stories. They have begun to alter the composition of India’s contingent.

The warning signs are hard to ignore

The developments have also prompted a response from Indian wrestling’s governing body.

The Wrestling Federation of India has issued an anti-doping advisory to its athletes and support staff, urging greater caution over medicines and supplements. It has also indicated plans for anti-doping education and awareness programmes.

The message reflects one of the most difficult aspects of modern anti-doping rules: athletes can be held responsible for substances found in their samples even when questions arise over medication, supplements or what they were advised to consume.

That does not mean every positive test is evidence of deliberate cheating. Each case has to be examined on its own facts, and athletes have the right to respond to the allegations against them.

But it does make awareness particularly important, especially in the build-up to a major event when athletes are experimenting with training, recovery and nutrition under pressure to perform.

An unwanted theme before Aichi-Nagoya

The cases involving Dahiya, Deepanshu and Masoori have already produced tangible changes to India’s Asian Games squad. Pal’s case has not reached that point — at least not yet.

That distinction matters. But taken together, the developments have created an unwanted theme in the final weeks before the Games: India’s athletes are having to deal with doping-related uncertainty alongside the usual demands of preparing for competition.

For Pal, the immediate battle is to establish what happened and secure clarity over his Asian Games status.

For India, the hope will be that his case is resolved without another change to the contingent. The Asian Games campaign has not begun yet. But already, in wrestling, shooting and athletics, some of India’s plans have been forced to change.