India’s preparations for the 2026 Asian Games have taken a hit after doping cases forced changes to the wrestling and weightlifting squadsThe Sports Ministry has approved a 492-athlete contingent for the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, but India’s wrestling team has been cut from 18 to 16 athletes.
India will not have a wrestler in the men’s freestyle 86kg and Greco-Roman 130kg categoriesBoth spots were affected by doping cases, leaving gaps in the wrestling team ahead of the Games, which will be held from September 19 to October 4.
The 86kg place was lost after Mukul Dahiya was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for mephentermineDahiya, an Asian Championships silver medallist, was part of India’s preparations and was at a training camp in Yerevan, Armenia, when the case came to lightThe Wrestling Federation of India then called him back.
The Greco-Roman 130kg category was hit by another doping caseDeepanshu, who had won the Asian Games selection trials in Lucknow on May 31, was provisionally suspended after failing an out-of-competition test for stanozolol.
The WFI named Ronak Dahiya as his replacementRonak had lost to Deepanshu in the selection trials but was brought into the national set-up after the suspensionHowever, his replacement was not accepted, meaning India will have no wrestler in the 130kg category at the Asian Games.
The changes have reduced India’s wrestling contingent to 16 athletes, 10 men and six womenThe squad still includes world championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal in the 53kg category and Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat in the 57kg category.
Weightlifting has also seen a reductionIndia will send only five lifters to Aichi-Nagoya – four women and one man.
Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will compete in the 49kg category, while Gyaneshwari Yadav will take part in the 53kg categorySeram Nirupama Devi and Harjinder Kaur will compete in the 61kg and 69kg categories respectively, while Rishikanta Singh will be India’s lone male lifter in the 60kg category.
The weightlifting squad had originally been larger, but doping cases linked to the Commonwealth Games period affected India’s final selectionThe Times of India report also said some lifters in the current squad were carrying injuries at the national camp.
Despite the setbacks, India will still send a strong overall contingent to JapanAthletics will have the biggest representation with 73 athletes, including Neeraj ChopraBadminton will have 20 athletes, while 11 boxers and 22 rowers have also been cleared.
India won a record 107 medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
