Global Anti-Doping Shake-Up: India In, Bahrain On Way Out, Nigeria and Six Others Still High-Risk
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has announced a significant reshuffle in its anti-doping risk classifications under Rule 15 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
India has now been elevated from Category B to Category A, joining Nigeria and six other nations, Kenya, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Belarus, and Bahrain, as the highest-risk federations for doping in athletics.
This decision follows India’s consistently alarming record of Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs). Between 2022 and 2025, India ranked among the top two globally: 48 ADRVs in 2022 (2nd), 63 in 2023 (2nd), 71 in 2024 (1st), and 30 so far in 2025 (1st, with final numbers pending).
‘The doping situation in India has been high-risk for a long time and, unfortunately, the quality of the domestic anti-doping programme is simply not proportionate to the doping risk,’ AIU Chair David Howman stated in a press statement.
While India enters Category A, Bahrain is on track to exit. Following sweeping reforms which includes the establishment of an independent national anti-doping organization, expanded testing pools, and rigorous out-of-competition testing, the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) will be reclassified to Category B in 2027, provided current standards are maintained through 2026.
Howman praised Bahrain’s progress: ‘The BAA is to be congratulated on the vast improvement of the anti-doping situation in Bahrain.’
Nigeria, along with Kenya, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Belarus, and India, remains firmly in Category A, subject to the most stringent testing obligations. These federations must meet minimum testing requirements for their national team athletes to compete internationally.
Meanwhile, Botswana, Peru, and Cuba, though still in Category B, face new minimum testing obligations for major events due to inadequate testing levels.
Athletes from these nations must undergo at least three out-of-competition tests before eligibility at competitions such as the World Relays in Gaborone, the World Racewalking Championships in Brasilia, and the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
Rule 15, introduced in 2019, empowers the AIU to hold national federations accountable for the robustness of their anti-doping programs. With India’s inclusion, seven nations now stand in Category A.
