Adding to the embarrassment for Indian wrestling, Asian Games-bound Greco Roman wrestler Deepak has failed a dope test, forcing the national federation to withdraw him from the contingent, further shrinking the Indian challenge at continental showpiece.
India Loses Two Wrestlers from Asian Games Due to Doping Violations
India’s wrestling team faces a setback as two athletes have been removed from the Asian Games roster due to doping violations. Mukul Dahiya, competing in men’s freestyle at 86kg, and Deepanshu in Greco Roman at 130kg, have both been implicated in doping cases. This development reduces India’s representation in wrestling at the upcoming event.
The 25-year-old Delhi wrestler was a surprise winner at the selection trials held in Lucknow on May 31 after coming through a medal-winning show at the Federation Cup. Deepak’s urine sample, collected during the selection trials, returned an atypical finding for clomifene, a prohibited substance classified under S4 (Hormone and Metabolic Modulators) of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, according to a notification issued by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). NADA said the sample was reported as an atypical finding on July 23 and, following an investigation and an interview with the wrestler on August 17, decided to move the case forward as an Adverse Analytical Finding. A Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) official said they are withdrawing Deepak from the squad since if he returns a positive test during the Games, world governing body UWW can impose a penalty of ₹ 20 lakh on the WFI.
However, the notification also said that if the ADRV is confirmed, results obtained from the date of sample collection – May 31, 2026 – until the commencement of any provisional suspension “would be liable to disqualification, unless fairness requires otherwise”. “We are withdrawing him from the squad,” said the official. Deepak was the first wrestler from the Indian Postal Service to secure a place on the Indian team for the Asian Games.
