Judo Campaign Faces Setback
India’s judo contingent for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has experienced another significant withdrawal. Following the removal of judoka Arun Kumar, silver medallist Tulika Maan has also been pulled from the Games. Her withdrawal stems from scrutiny over alleged whereabouts failures, as confirmed by Mukesh Kumar, president of the Judo Federation of India (JFI).
Mukesh Kumar stated that Tulika Maan did not disclose her whereabouts, which is a requirement for athletes under anti-doping regulations. He noted that the matter is currently under investigation and that Tulika Maan has been called to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) office for a hearing. Athletes are mandated to provide their whereabouts to NADA to facilitate timely testing.
This development comes shortly after Arun Kumar, a 73kg judoka, was deemed ineligible for the Games. His exclusion followed an adverse analytical finding from an out-of-competition test conducted by NADA. Arun Kumar had achieved notable success in recent years, securing gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Cup and the 2025 Taipei Asian Open, along with a bronze at the Hong Kong Asian Open. Earlier this year, he placed seventh at the Tashkent Grand Slam, which led to his selection for the Commonwealth Games.
Whereabouts Failures and Consequences
Tulika Maan, a 27-year-old from Delhi, faces a provisional suspension from NADA due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. This situation could potentially lead to a two-year ban under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules. She had previously earned a silver medal in the women’s +78kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was considered a strong medal contender for Glasgow.
The whereabouts system is a crucial anti-doping measure designed to enable random, unannounced out-of-competition testing of elite athletes. Athletes who are part of a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to submit their location details quarterly through WADA’s ADAMS platform or the Athlete Central app. Additionally, they must specify a 60-minute window each day during which they will be available at a designated location for testing.
A missed test can be recorded if a doping control officer visits during this one-hour window and cannot locate the athlete. Similarly, failing to submit or update location details is classified as a filing failure. 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. Such violations can result in a ban ranging from one to two years.
Impact on India’s Judo Team
The withdrawal of Tulika Maan represents a significant blow to India’s medal aspirations in judo at the Glasgow Games. She is recognised as one of the nation’s most accomplished judokas, having represented India at the 2024 Paris Olympics and participated in the 2022 and 2024 World Championships. Her absence particularly weakens India’s chances in the women’s heavyweight category.
The Indian judo team, which was originally approved with 14 members (seven men and seven women), has not yet departed for Glasgow. Their competition schedule is set to commence on July 31, with the team’s departure scheduled for July 27. The two suspensions have already caused disruptions to the team’s preparations ahead of the competition.
India had a successful outing at the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games, with a six-member contingent securing three medals—two silver and one bronze—in Birmingham in 2022. The current situation raises concerns for the team’s performance in Glasgow, where the judo competition is scheduled from July 31 to August 2.
This is not an isolated incident for Indian athletes regarding whereabouts failures. Sprinter Hima Das received a 16-month retrospective suspension by 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 whereabouts failures, with her suspension lasting from April 2022 to March 2023, and she was stripped of her bronze medal from the 2022 Asian Games.
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
