Glasgow: Tulika Maan withdrawn from Commonwealth Games judo squad, NADA hearing next
Commonwealth Games Judo Campaign Faces Setback
India’s judo contingent for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has encountered further challenges. Following the disqualification of Arun Kumar from the 73kg category due to a failed dope test, Tulika Maan, a silver medallist from the previous games, has been withdrawn from the squad. Her withdrawal stems from scrutiny over alleged whereabouts failures.
Mukesh Kumar, president of the Judo Federation of India (JFI), confirmed these developments. He stated that the matter is under investigation, noting that Maan did not disclose her whereabouts as required. According to Kumar, athletes are mandated to inform the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) of their location for testing purposes.
Maan has been summoned to the NADA office to address the situation. The outcome of this meeting will determine the next steps. Kumar emphasised that disclosing whereabouts is a fundamental requirement for athletes to ensure timely testing.
Details of the Whereabouts Failures
A judo coach, speaking anonymously, indicated that Maan had accumulated three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, leading to a notice from NADA. This accumulation of failures resulted in her withdrawal from the team. Maan had secured a silver medal in the women’s +78kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was considered a strong medal contender for the Glasgow Games.
The whereabouts system is an anti-doping regulation designed to facilitate random, unannounced out-of-competition testing of elite athletes. Athletes in a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must submit their location details quarterly via WADA’s ADAMS platform or the Athlete Central app. They are also required to specify a 60-minute time slot each day when they will be available at a particular location for testing.
A missed test occurs if a doping control officer cannot locate an athlete during their declared 60-minute window. Similarly, a filing failure is recorded if an athlete fails to submit or update their location details. Anti-doping regulations stipulate that any combination of three missed tests or filing failures within a rolling 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation, potentially leading to a suspension of one to two years.
Impact and Precedents
The provisional suspension introduces uncertainty regarding the future of Maan, who is recognised as one of India’s accomplished judokas. The final decision rests with NADA. If the charges are upheld, she could face a suspension of up to two years, which would significantly impact her career and India’s medal prospects in future international competitions.
The Indian judo team has not yet departed for the Games, with their competition schedule set to commence on July 31. The judokas are scheduled to leave on July 27. This is not an isolated incident for Indian athletes concerning whereabouts failures.
Previous cases include sprinter Hima Das, who received a 16-month retrospective suspension from NADA for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, with her suspension running from July 22, 2023, to November 21, 2025. Boxer Parveen Hooda was also suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for similar failures, with her suspension lasting from April 2022 to March 2023, and she was stripped of her bronze medal from the 2022 Asian Games.
Arun Kumar’s ineligibility, announced just a day before Maan’s withdrawal, followed an adverse analytical finding in an out-of-competition test conducted by NADA. Kumar had achieved notable success, including a gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Cup, another gold at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open, and a bronze medal at the Hong Kong Asian Open. Earlier this year, he secured seventh place at the Tashkent Grand Slam, which led to his initial selection for the Commonwealth Games.
Tulika Maan’s breakthrough occurred at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she earned a silver medal in the women’s +78kg category, making her the second Indian judoka to achieve this distinction. She later recovered from a significant knee injury to qualify for the Paris Olympics, where she was India’s sole judoka representative.
The judo competition at the 2026 Games is scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 2.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
