CWG 2026: Another blow to India due to doping, judo player Tulika Mann is out, had won medal last time

The news of doping and violation of various rules related to it is not stopping. The players who were selected for the Commonwealth Games with the hope of winning medals are getting a shock. The latest case is related to women’s judo, where Tulika Mann has been suspended. Tulika was selected in the judo team for the Commonwealth Games 2026 starting in Glasgow but she was suspended before leaving for the Games. This action has been taken on Tulika due to violation of the ‘whereabout clause’ related to anti-doping.

The same was expected this time too from Tulika Mann, who created history by winning the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022. She was selected in the 78 kg weight category, where she was going to present India’s claim again. But before she could board the flight to Glasgow, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) suspended Tulika. Due to this, she will no longer be able to participate in the games, while she will appear before NADA.

However, unlike other doping cases, Tulika has not been suspended for consuming any banned substance. Rather, he has been found guilty of violating the ‘Whereabout’ rule. This is the third time within a year that Tulika violated this rule and was not available for the dope test. Due to this, NADA has temporarily suspended him and has given him a notice to appear before explaining the reason. She will present her case before the agency on Thursday, July 24.

Under the ‘Whereabout’ rule, players who are included in the ‘Registered Testing Pool’ (RTP) of NADA or WADA, have to tell their entire year’s schedule and when and where they can be. This is so that NADA can take his dope test at any time without informing him despite not participating in the competition. If you miss this test or do not update your location, a ‘missed test’ is recorded in the athlete’s account. If 3 ‘missed tests’ are recorded in a year, the athlete is suspended and then an explanation is sought from him. If the testing agency is not satisfied with this cleanliness then they can be banned for 4 years.