Published on 16 April 2026
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka says a crackdown on the production of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in India – the largest globally – is vital to combating the menace of doping and protecting athletes.
Banka and his team are in New Delhi as part of his effort to build stronger ties with national law and order agencies, including cyber crime cells, to help maintain the credibility of professional sports.
WADA has sought help from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – the federal police – to bring down the initial supply chain of racketeers and agents selling drugs.
“We see the problem of production of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) – India is the largest producer of those illegal substances,” Banka told AFP news agency.
“So we cooperate with the CBI, with law enforcement to try to destroy this market and really protect the lives of athletes and the health of society,” he said.
WADA has been aggressive in curbing the doping crisis with its Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigation Network (GAIIN) initiative from 2022.
The Interpol-supported “Operation Upstream” has been successful for WADA, conducting 250 raids worldwide, destroying 88 illicit laboratories and seizing approximately 90 tonnes of PEDs.
“We are here because India has the largest population (1.4 billion) and we see how important this is to the Indian authorities, and we see the need to strengthen the system here – it’s a common interest,” Günter Younger, WADA’s head of investigations, told AFP.
“At the moment, I see the appetite and willingness on the part of public authorities (in India) to work together with us to resolve this issue. We know this is not just about doping of athletes.”
Younger, the former head of the cybercrime division of the Bavarian police, said that to strike against the menace of doping, the focus should shift from athletes to suppliers of PEDs.
“We always focused on testing, and the entire infrastructure, the anti-doping community over the last 25 years was focused on testing, and in the beginning it was fine.
“But criminal networks, they adjust, and they adjust very quickly.
“The fact that we have, let’s say, less than 1 percent hits with the test shows, to me, we can do better that way.
“So, what we want to do with them is to strengthen their intelligence and investigation, work with the CBI, adopt a top-down strategy.
“Go after the criminal networks, and look for the clients, and target the coaches, the doctors who are responsible for providing PEDs to athletes, and not adopt a bottom-up strategy.”
Setback to India’s Olympic ambitions?
WADA said in 2025 that India is not only the leader in manufacturing of PEDs, but it also has the unwanted tag of topping the global sports drug fraud list for three consecutive years.
According to the WADA report published in December last year, India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) collected 7,113 urine and blood samples, of which 260 tested positive in 2024.
Pundits said it was a major blow to India, which is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games – an event seen as a stepping stone to the country’s ambition of hosting the 2036 Olympics.
But Banka said the figures have no bearing on India winning the right to host prestigious global sporting events.
“There is no doubt that doping is a big problem in India. The figures clearly show the number of positive tests,” he said.
“But I would be very concerned if the number of positive tests dropped significantly year after year, so I think maybe the national anti-doping agency is not doing a good job.”
Banka said, “It is not that if India remains first in terms of the number of positive tests, they will not be able to host the Games or the World Championships.
“It’s about how the system works from a legal perspective, and it’s our role as the global anti-doping regulator to assess that.”
