India's Commonwealth Games Medal Hopes Marred By Doping Violation, Athlete Withdraws From CWG 2026 After Failed Dope Test

Commonwealth Games 2026: The Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games 2026 suffered a huge blow as judoka Arun Kumar withdrew from the multi-sport event after failing a dope test.

The 73kg Indian judoka was pronounced ineligible to participate at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after an adverse analytical finding emerged in an out‑of‑competition test administered by the National Anti‑Doping Agency (NADA).

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No Replacement Named For Arun Kumar

The Indian judo team is yet to depart for Glasgow. However, India cannot name Arun Kumar’s replacement due to the competition’s guidelines.

After the withdrawal of Arun, India's contingent has reduced from 125 to 124.

Earlier on Wednesday, the NADA served a notice following which the Indian judoka's name was removed from the 2026 Commonwealth Games Sports Entries System.

“Glasgow 2026 has received confirmation from the International Judo Federation that Arun Kumar is not eligible to compete at Glasgow 2026. As a result, they will be removed from the Sport Entries System,” Ellise Anderson wrote on behalf of the organisers, as quoted by India Today.

After winning a gold medal at the 2023 Junior Asian Cup in Macau, he has been a regular member of the Indian judoka set-up.

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Another Athlete Set To Return From Glasgow

Not just Arun, but another Indian athlete, weightlifter Dilbagh Singh, will be returning from Glasgow, though not due to any fault of his own. Indian weightlifting reported five positive cases between June 1, 2025, and July 22, 2026. Consequently, India’s athlete quota was reduced from 16 to 11.

Initially, the Indian Weightlifting Federation had fielded a 12‑member team for the ongoing CWG 2026, but that number has now been cut to an 11‑member squad.

The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games has been stripped‑down, with several marquee sports missing from the roster. As a result, some of India’s biggest names won’t feature, and the nation’s medal haul is likely to take a hit. CWG 2026 will host just 10 sports, a sharp cut from the 19 featured at Birmingham 2022.