CWG 2026: Doping suspension and quota reduction deal double blow to India

Judoka Arun Kumar has been suspended by NADA. Weightlifter Dilbagh Singh had to leave Glasgow after the sport's quota was reduced from 12 to 11.

Even before the 2026 Commonwealth Games were declared open in Glasgow, the Indian contingent suffered two setbacks. Arun Kumar, a judoka in the 78kg category, was removed from the judo squad after he was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The development occurred before the Indian judoka team's departure for Glasgow.

India have been dealt with a doping suspension and quota reduction. (@narendramodi X)

Meanwhile, weightlifter Dilbagh Singh had to leave Glasgow after the sport's quota was reduced from 12 to 11. According to PTI, a well-placed source said, "The federation got to know about the reduction of quota from 12 to 11 lifters only yesterday."

"Since Dilbagh is suffering from a back injury and did not train at all during the preparatory camp in Birmingham, a decision was made to withdraw him."

Ahead of CWG 2026, weightlifters N Ajith (71kg), Sairaj Pardeshi (88kg) and Harcharan Singh (110kg) were banned for doping violations. Women's weightlifter Vanshita Verma (86kg) was also sanctioned for an anti-doping rule violation in the qualification period.

"I tell the whole team to stay relaxed. Everyone feels pressure, especially those who are competing for the first time. The boys and girls competing for the first time also feel pressure. On top of that, everyone in India expects more medals from weightlifting this time. So, there is pressure, but we will try our best to keep the pressure aside and perform the way we have trained. If we give a good performance on stage, then everyone can definitely win a medal in weightlifting. But as for the rest, who knows what will happen on that day? We'll see. But the whole team is doing well, and we will give our all," she said.

"Some are new and haven't participated in many international competitions. But I try to tell them that the games are the same. It's not like the Games are different from Championships. If they think of them as different, it will create more pressure. So, I tell them that we have to compete just like we do on every stage, in every competition, whether it's the Commonwealth, World, or Asian Championships. We have to fight the same way. There's no need to think or do anything extra. That's how I tell them to stay relaxed and work on everything with a relaxed mind."