The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Indian runner Twinkle Chaudhary for testing positive for Methyltestosterone.
The suspension marks yet another setback for Indian athletics, which has been grappling with a concerning doping record in recent years.
Chaudhary, a multiple National Games medallist from Jalandhar, delivered a string of impressive performances this season before her suspension. The 28-year-old clinched gold in the women’s 4x400m relay, silver in the 800m, and bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay at the National Games held in Uttarakhand. In April, she set a new meet record of 2:00.71 in the 800m at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi.
Her form continued on the international stage, where she claimed silver in the 800m at the Taiwan Open earlier this month and narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, placing fourth.
The AIU has issued Chaudhary a “notice of allegation,” giving her the opportunity to contest the findings in a hearing. If upheld, the suspension could ban her from competitive athletics for years.
The case adds to India’s worrying doping statistics. In 2023, India topped the global doping charts among countries conducting over 5,000 tests, registering a 3.8% adverse analytical findings rate. Sportstar reported that India accounted for 214 of 204,809 global doping cases, exceeding 11% of the total.
Last month, Indian quarter-miler Sneha Kolleri failed a doping test for Stanozolol, underscoring India’s ongoing anti-doping struggles.
In response, India’s Sports Ministry has vowed to intensify anti-doping initiatives through nationwide awareness campaigns. Parliament will soon table an amended National Anti-Doping Act to address WADA’s concerns over government interference.
The AIU continues to play a pivotal role in enforcing global anti-doping standards in athletics, as the sport battles to maintain integrity on and off the track.
