New Delhi (TIP)- India recorded the highest number of drug cheats in the world in 2022, a report released by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has concluded. India tested a total of 3,865 samples — urine, blood, and dried blood spot (DBS) combined — during the collection period that began on January 1, 2022 and ended on December 31, 2022, and 125 of them returned Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs).
India is the only country to have over 100 positive results. By comparison, countries with higher testing numbers such as China, USA, and Russia produced fewer AAFs.
In percentage terms, India’s 3.2% of AAFs is the highest in the world among nations that tested more than 2,000 samples. Out of the 125 AAFs, 37 tested positive in out-of-competition testing while 88 returned positive in in-competition testing. India’s total of 3865 samples put them on the 11th spot among all countries. China tested most samples — 19,228 — but produced only 0.2% AAFs, or 33 positive results.
Germany and Russia were next in terms of testing, 13,653 and 10,186 respectively, to be the only three countries to test over 10,000 samples. Germany recorded a total dope positive count of 42 while 85 Russian samples tested positive. In terms of absolute numbers, only Russia (85) and USA (84) come close to India’s 125. France recorded 72 AAFs out of 9775 samples while Italy had 73 positives from 9101 samples.
Overall, 26 nations tested 2,000 or more samples with South Africa returning the second highest adverse finding at 2.9% (58 samples) after India. The third place was taken by Kazakhstan with 1.9% of its testing pool of 2,174 samples returning adverse findings.
WADA noted a 6.4% increase in the total number of samples analysed and reported into its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) in 2022 as compared to 2021. The percentage of AAF also went up from 0.65% in 2021 to 0.77% in 2022.
“WADA’s Annual Testing Figures Report is the most comprehensive overview of all doping control samples,” WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said in a statement.
“WADA is pleased to note that the number of anti-doping tests in the testing figures continue to increase across the board and are the closest to the pre-pandemic levels (2019). The Testing Figures Report is an important tool for collaboration between Anti-Doping Organisations,” he added. Source: HT