Education key to tackling doping in Indian sports, says IOA CMO Doctor Dinshaw Pardiwala

Headed by the noted orthopaedic surgeon, the IOA medical unit has been working since the Indian contingent arrived in Scotland for the Commonwealth Games 2026. Dr Pardiwala highlighted the importance of the 'Clean Sports' initiative launched by the Indian Olympic Association and the Neeraj Chopra Foundation, aimed at improving anti-doping awareness across the sporting ecosystem.

"As far as doping is concerned, I think for doping we really require education, and that education is going to have to be done right from the bottom. And to ensure that we've got this education, we've now got an initiative which is 'Clean Sports' by the Indian Olympic Association and the Neeraj Chopra Foundation. So, both of them have gotten together, and we've set up this body called 'Clean Sports' where we're going to try and ensure that education is taken care of," Dr Pardiwala said.

He said the initiative will focus on educating athletes, coaches and support personnel to ensure they understand the risks associated with banned substances and make informed choices.

Notably, India's Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign suffered multiple setbacks after judokas Arun Kumar and Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medallist Tulika Maan were withdrawn following provisional suspensions by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

Pardiwala acknowledged that doping remains a concern in Indian sports but pointed out that only a small number of athletes are involved in intentional violations. He added that such cases can impact the reputation of the entire sporting community.

"I think India is facing a doping sort of scandal right now in sports, and the reasons for this are multiple. It's not that all of these athletes are doping; there is a very small number that's doping, but when that very small number is picked up, it's going to spoil the reputation of not just all of Indian athletes, but all of us Indians, because at the end of the day, doping is cheating, and we know that Indians are not cheaters," he said.

The IOA CMO also noted that some athletes may land in trouble unintentionally due to contaminated supplements or medicines containing prohibited substances that they may not be aware of.

"Some of them, I'm sure, it's because they're doping to try and get a shortcut, but for many, it's just inadvertent. They've taken supplements that are contaminated or, you know, they've taken some medicine which has certain substances that they should not have been taking which were not recognised, and the only way forward is education," he said.

Pardiwala said Indian athletes are increasingly recognising the importance of sports science in reaching the highest level of performance. He explained that while coaches help develop skills, factors like strength, agility, reaction time and overall fitness, supported by sports science, are essential for athletes aiming to become world-class competitors.

"I think most athletes now recognise that if you want to be at the top of your game and if you want to be a world-beater in whatever sport you are in, then sports science is going to have to support you. You can develop skills with your coach, but unless you are fit, and that fitness should mean strength in certain sports, agility in certain sports, reaction times in certain sports, and in some sports, all of these- unless you have all of these, which is going to come in with training and sports science- you can't really be a world-beater. You'd be good, but you're not going to be at the top," he said.

"Most athletes recognise this; most athletes now are seeing the other athletes from other countries also using the means of sports science to improve, and it's great that Indian athletes are also recognising that sports science is what's going to get them further in their sports," he added. (ANI)