Tokyo Olympian tested positive for prohibited substance Methandienone; heptathlete Swapna Barman and sprinter MV Jilna also face anti-doping action

Shivpal receives 10-year ban

Indian javelin thrower and Tokyo Olympian Shivpal Singh has been handed a 10-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after being found guilty of a second doping offence.

NADA's Disciplinary Panel imposed the punishment after Shivpal tested positive for Methandienone, a prohibited anabolic steroid.

The 31-year-old athlete's latest suspension could bring his competitive career to an end. Shivpal has represented India at the Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships. His personal best throw stands at 86.23 metres.

Second doping case

The latest action comes after Shivpal had already served a ban for a previous doping violation.

His sample tested positive for a prohibited steroid during an out-of-competition test conducted in 2021. NADA's Disciplinary Panel found him guilty in August 2022 and initially imposed a four-year suspension.

Shivpal appealed against the decision, arguing that a supplement he had consumed contained the banned substance without his knowledge.

In January 2023, NADA's appeal panel accepted his plea and reduced the original four-year ban to one year.

He returned to competition in April 2023 after serving the reduced suspension.

Successful comeback in 2023

Following his return, Shivpal managed to revive his athletics career.

He won a bronze medal at the National Inter-State Championship in Bhubaneswar in June 2023. Later that year, he claimed the gold medal in the javelin throw at the National Games in Goa.

His performances after returning from the earlier suspension had allowed him to continue competing at the national level.

However, the latest positive test and the resulting 10-year ban have now put his future in the sport in serious doubt.

Tokyo Olympian and Asian medallist

Shivpal has been one of India's prominent javelin throwers in the generation that preceded the country's emergence as a major force in the event.

He won silver at the 2019 Asian Championships with a throw of 86.23 metres, which remains his personal best.

He also represented India at the Tokyo Olympics, adding an Olympic appearance to his international record.

The 10-year punishment is significantly longer than his previous suspension because the latest offence has been treated as a second anti-doping violation.

MV Jilna provisionally suspended

Shivpal was not the only Indian athlete facing NADA action.

Sprinter MV Jilna has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for Mephentermine, another prohibited substance.

The provisional suspension means the case remains subject to the applicable anti-doping proceedings and final determination.

Swapna Barman also suspended

Former Asian Games champion Swapna Barman has also been suspended by NADA following a positive doping test.

The heptathlete tested positive for Boldenone, a prohibited anabolic agent.

Barman won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2018 Asian Games and has been one of India's best-known athletes in the multi-event discipline.

Her suspension adds another high-profile name to the list of Indian athletes facing anti-doping proceedings.

Anti-doping scrutiny intensifies

The cases involving Shivpal, Jilna and Barman highlight the continued scrutiny Indian athletes face under the country's anti-doping framework.

For Shivpal, the 10-year ban represents a particularly serious setback because it follows an earlier doping conviction and comes when he is 31.

Unless the decision is successfully challenged through the available appeal process, the lengthy suspension is likely to prevent him from competing for most of the remainder of his professional career.

The latest action also underlines the consequences of repeat anti-doping violations, with NADA imposing a substantially longer penalty in Shivpal's second case.