Judo Campaign Faces Setback
India’s judo contingent for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has experienced a significant setback with the withdrawal of Tulika Maan. The silver medallist from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) due to three alleged whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. This development means Maan, who was considered a strong medal prospect, will not participate in the Glasgow Games.
The withdrawal of Maan follows closely after another Indian judoka, Arun Kumar, was also ruled out of the Games. Kumar, who competes in the 73kg category, was declared ineligible after an adverse analytical finding from an out-of-competition dope test conducted by NADA. These two suspensions have impacted India’s preparations ahead of the judo competition, which is scheduled to run from July 31 to August 2.
Mukesh Kumar, president of the Judo Federation of India (JFI), confirmed Maan’s withdrawal. He stated that Maan did not disclose her whereabouts as required by NADA regulations. Kumar mentioned that the matter is under investigation and that Maan has been called to the NADA office for further proceedings. Adherence to whereabouts rules is crucial for athletes to facilitate timely doping tests.
Understanding Whereabouts Failures
The whereabouts system is a critical component of anti-doping efforts, designed to enable random, unannounced out-of-competition testing of elite athletes. Athletes who are part of a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are mandated to provide their location details every three months through the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) ADAMS platform or the Athlete Central app.
These athletes must also specify a fixed 60-minute window each day during which they will be available at a particular location for testing. If a doping control officer attempts to conduct a test during this designated hour and cannot locate the athlete, it may be recorded as a missed test. Similarly, failing to submit or update location details is classified as a filing failure.
Under anti-doping regulations, any combination of three missed tests or filing failures within a rolling 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation. Such violations can lead to a ban ranging from one to two years. Maan now faces a potential two-year ban as a consequence of these failures.
This is not an isolated incident for Indian athletes. Sprinter Hima Das previously received a 16-month retrospective suspension from NADA for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, with her suspension running from July 22, 2023, to November 21, 2025. Boxer Parveen Hooda also faced a suspension by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for similar whereabouts failures, which spanned from April 2022 to March 2023, and resulted in her being stripped of her bronze medal from the 2022 Asian Games.
Impact on India’s Judo Team
Tulika Maan, a 27-year-old judoka from Delhi, is considered one of India’s most accomplished athletes in the sport. Beyond her silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the women’s +78kg category, she represented India at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she exited in the round of 32. She also participated in the 2022 and 2024 World Championships.
Her absence significantly weakens India’s medal prospects in the women’s heavyweight category at the Glasgow Games. The Indian judo team had originally approved a 14-member squad, comprising seven men and seven women. The team had a strong showing at the previous Commonwealth Games, securing three medals—two silver and one bronze—with a six-member contingent in Birmingham in 2022.
The Indian judo team is scheduled to depart for Glasgow on July 27, with their competitions commencing on July 31. The provisional suspension of Tulika Maan and Arun Kumar has caused disruption to the team’s preparations just days before their scheduled departure for the Games.
Arun Kumar, the other judoka withdrawn, had also shown a rapid ascent in his career. He secured a gold medal at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Cup, followed by another gold at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open, and a bronze medal at the Hong Kong Asian Open. Earlier this year, he achieved a seventh-place finish at the Tashkent Grand Slam, which led to his maiden selection for the Commonwealth Games.
The NADA hearing for Tulika Maan will determine the final outcome of her case.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Priya Nair
Sports Reporter
