Drugs in Sports and Right to Health: An Indian Perspective

Despite India's best efforts, the country has been ranked third on the global doping charts for the past three years running, starting in 2019. Rules and regulations for elite sports must be logically formulated and applied fairly across countries. Doping regulations in India have been the subject of much discussion, drawing attention to the disarray in the country's sports administration. Images of syringes in stadium restrooms have been ubiquitous for decades. Competitions in remote regions of India don't have anti-doping officers present, and if they were, the number of people who fail tests would be far higher. Even if professional athletes have gotten away with doping in the past, amateurs at all levels are putting their health at danger by trying it out in the hopes of landing a job or making the national team.1 Aiming to promote clean sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency has created and is implementing harmonised regulations under the “World Anti-Doping Code, 2021”. The anti-doping experience varies from country to country because WADA depends mostly on National Anti-Doping Organizations to execute the Code. The existing framework, according to some academics, has an outsized effect on athletes hailing from underdeveloped nations. By examining fundamental problems with the Code's implementation in one such country—India—this essay adds to this discussion. 1 Yuji Takazawa, 'Relationship Between the Level of Willingness to Learn About Anti-Doping and Objective Knowledge Among Japanese University Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study' (2022) 4 FRONTIERS IN SPORTS AND ACTIVE LIVING 54-68.