National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 amended to include provisions of World Anti- Doping Code

On 18-8-2025, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Act, 2025 to amend the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022.

Key Points:

1. The term “Anti-Doping Organization” has been introduced which means the World Anti- Doping Agency which is responsible for adopting rules for initiating/ implementing/ enforcing any part of the doping control process and includes the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, other major event organizations that conduct testing at their events, International Federations, and the National Anti-Doping Organizations.

2. The World Anti- Doping Code has been covered under the Schedule which will have force of law in India.

3. The provision relating to Anti- Doping Rule Violation has been revised and lay down the circumstances/ acts/ conducts which will constitute a violation:

   • Presence of prohibited substance/ its metabolites/ markers in an athlete’s sample unless such presence is exempted;

   • Use/ attempted use by an athlete of any prohibited substance/ prohibited method unless exempted;

   • Evading sample collection/ refusing/ failing to submit to sample collection without compelling justification after notification by a duly authorized person;

   • Whereabouts failures by an athlete;

   • Tampering/ attempted tampering with any part of doping control by an athlete/ other person;

   • Possession of any prohibited substance/ prohibited method by an athlete/ athlete support personnel, unless such possession is exempted;

   • Trafficking/ attempted trafficking in any prohibited substance/ prohibited method by an athlete or other person;

   • Administration/ attempted administration by an athlete/ other person to any athlete in-competition of any prohibited substance/ prohibited method,
     or administration/ attempted administration to any athlete out-of-competition of any prohibited substance/ prohibited method that is prohibited out-of-competition;

   • Prohibited association by an athlete/ other person as the National Anti-Doping Agency specifies;

   • Acts by an athlete/ other person to discourage/ retaliate against reporting to authorities;

   • Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, conspiring, covering up or any other type of intentional complicity/ attempted complicity involving an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, attempted Anti-Doping Rule Violation/ violation of the prohibition against participation during ineligibility/ provisional suspension by any other person.

4. The Director General or any other staff member of the National Anti-Doping Agency will have operational independence from any National Sports Federation, International Federation, National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee or any Government department or agency with responsibility for sport or anti-doping.

5. If the National Anti-Doping Agency has the reason to believe that an athlete has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, it can direct such athlete to submit samples for testing.

6. The provisions relating to Result Management Process has been revised as under:

   • In case an adverse report is received from a dope testing laboratory indicating presence of any prohibited substance/ its metabolites/ markers or any evidence of use of prohibited method has been found then the National Anti-Doping Agency can carry out initial examination of the report.

   • The National Anti-Doping Agency will verify if Therapeutic Use Exemption has been granted or not.

   • The National Anti-Doping Agency will also verify if there has been any departure from the International Standard for Laboratories or International Standard for Testing and Investigations that may have caused the adverse analytical finding or if it is apparent that the adverse analytical finding was caused by an ingestion of the relevant prohibited substance through a permitted route.

   • In case the National Anti-Doping Agency finds that none of the above was granted to the athlete then it can take necessary actions.

7. The provisions relating to Hearing of Appeal by Appeal Panel has been revised stating who can prefer an appeal against the decision of the Appeal Panel to the Court of Arbitration for Sport:

   ✓ World Anti-Doping Agency;

   ✓ International Olympic Committee;

   ✓ International Paralympic Committee;

   ✓ Other International Federation concerned.