NEW DELHI: India’s anti-doping agency has provisionally suspended a 14-year-old swimmer from competing after testing positive for a banned substance ahead of next month’s Asian Games in China.
The swimmer, whose name was not disclosed, is among 36 athletes suspended by India’s National Anti-Doping Agency this year, according to an updated list published on the agency’s website this week.
The minor tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, a banned performance-enhancing steroid that is known to increase muscle strength and help speed up recovery.
This year the US anti-doping agency has suspended three athletes for taking the substance.
Indian media first revealed the swimmer’s suspension on Saturday along with Owais Sarwar Ahenger, a Wushu martial artist expected to compete at the Asian Games starting in Hangzhou on September 23.
Ahenger tested positive for the same steroid as well as a banned stimulant.
India has ranked high in the number of recent doping violations alongside Russia and Italy, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency report released in 2021.