687 athletes caught in NADA dope net since 2009

Outdated steroids—Nandrolone, Metandienone and Stanozolol—are the common drugs used by Indian athletes for enhancing performance, says a report by the National Anti-Doping Agency

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson shocked the world by testing positive for a little-known synthetic steroid called Stanozolol, bringing the issue of performance enhancing drugs in sports into limelight. What’s alarming is that 28 years down the road, the drug still finds favour with Indian athletes looking to cut corners. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has registered 208 cases of the steroid being found in test samples collected from Indian athletes from January 1, 2009 to July 18, 2016.

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has registered 208 cases of Stanozolol being found in test samples collected from Indian athletes from January 1, 2009 to July 18, 2016. (Getty Images)

According to a report published by NADA on its website, as many as 687 athletes have been caught taking prohibited substances in the 90-month period. Stanozolol is not the only outdated drug Indian cheats consume. According to the NADA report, Nandrolone and Metandienone are among the top three drugs Indian athletes have been caught taking. Metandienone made headlines recently when Rio-bound wrestler, Narsingh Yadav, tested positive for the banned drug.