What is Anti-Doping Bill? All you need to know about latest govt initiative

Lok Sabha approved the Anti-Doping Bill on Monday.

The Lok Sabha on Monday approved the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025, in a session that saw opposition members protesting the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar when the bill was brought forward.

The bill was passed by a voice vote, alongside the National Sports Governance Bill 2025. The anti-doping legislation, first introduced on July 23, 2025, aims to amend the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, to align India’s anti-doping framework with the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport and global best practices.

Background: Why were the amendments needed?

Doping — the use of prohibited substances to enhance athletic performance — has long been a challenge for Indian sport.

In 2024 alone, there were 260 cases of doping, many of which resulted in athletes losing medals and reputations. The original Act of 2022 created the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to test samples, investigate possible violations, and enforce the rules.

It also created the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to oversee NADA and advise the central government. However, concerns arose regarding autonomy, the appeals process, and whether the Act complied with international obligations.

The proposed 2025 amendments aim to address these issues by creating a different authority structure, improving autonomy, and refining appeals and testing procedures.

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Shift in appeal panel authority

One of the biggest changes in the bill is the transfer of power to constitute the Appeal Panel from the National Board to the central government.

The government will now prescribe the procedures for filing and hearing appeals, replacing the earlier system where the Board had regulatory control.

Greater autonomy for Anti-Doping bodies

The amendments remove the National Board’s power to seek information from the Disciplinary and Appeal Panels or to issue directions to them.

Instead, the Director General and other NADA officials will operate independently from national or international sports federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Paralympic Committee of India, government departments, and any other related agencies.

Restricted appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport

Previously, any individual could challenge Appeal Panel decisions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.

Now, only specific organisations — such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and relevant international sports federations — can challenge Appeal Panel decisions.

If you are an athlete, you can no longer file directly; one of these organisations would have to take up your case.

Direct appeals in International-Level cases

For international-level athletes or events, the bill allows direct appeals to CAS against decisions of the Disciplinary Panel.

Eligible parties include the affected athlete, NADA, the relevant international federation, WADA, IOC, and IPC.

WADA can also directly appeal to CAS if no other party challenges a final decision by NADA in India.

Alignment with the World Anti-Doping Code

The definition of “whereabouts failure” — which covers missed tests or failure to provide location details — will now match the World Anti-Doping Code.

The bill also incorporates the Code’s list of anti-doping violations into Indian law as a schedule, giving them full domestic force.

Mandatory WADA Accreditation for labs

Previously, the central government could recognise dope-testing laboratories in India, with WADA accreditation being optional.

Now, WADA accreditation is mandatory for all labs, which must maintain this accreditation at all times.

This will ensure test results are on par with global competitions and reduce disputes over testing credibility.

Stronger review of adverse test reports

The 2025 amendments require NADA, when reviewing an adverse test report, to check whether it was caused by any departure from WADA’s standards for laboratories, testing, or investigations.

This provision aims to protect athletes from wrongful sanctions due to procedural errors.

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