Athletics coach Rakesh Kumar has received a life ban for administering prohibited substances, while powerlifter Gaurav Vats has been provisionally suspended for possession and trafficking of banned drugs, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) announced.
The sanctions were laid out in NADA’s latest list on Wednesday. Rakesh’s suspension dates back to March 2025, so the life ban will be effective from that time. The move has come after several anti-doping cases against athletes and support personnel in Indian sport.
NADA’s rules cover anti-doping violations by athletes, athlete support personnel and other persons under its jurisdiction. The agency considers administering prohibited substances and trafficking or attempting trafficking of prohibited substances as separate anti-doping rule violations.
Rakesh Kumar gets life ban
Athletics coach Rakesh Kumar has been sanctioned for administering a prohibited substance. NADA’s information says the violation is under Article 2.8 of the National Anti-Doping Rules relating to the administration of a prohibited substance.
According to the latest report, Rakesh had already been suspended in March 2025, and the period of ineligibility will be calculated from that date. The lifetime ban means he will be barred from taking part in activities covered by the anti-doping rules for the duration of the sanction.
The case involves athlete support personnel rather than a positive doping test by an athlete. NADA's rules specifically cover several categories of anti-doping violations by athlete support personnel and other persons, including possession, trafficking, and administration of prohibited substances.
Powerlifter Gaurav Vats Provisionally Suspended
Powerlifter Gaurav Vats has been provisionally suspended on charges of possession and trafficking of prohibited substances. His case is connected to a crackdown at the premises of his nutritional supplements company in Najafgarh, Delhi.
According to reports, a tip-off received by NADA's Intelligence and Investigations unit in April led to a joint operation involving local police, Central Food Safety Officers and officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Authorities recovered about 2,800 capsules and tablets and 11 injectable units of prohibited substances during the operation, they said. Methenolone Enanthate, Trenbolone and Stanozolol were among them.
The seizure also involved approximately 300 Methandienone tablets, 850 Oxandrolone tablets and about 1,500 capsules containing Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, commonly referred to as SARMs. Injections containing Adenosine Monophosphate were recovered.
Because Vats has been provisionally suspended, his case should be distinguished from a final sanction. NADA calls provisional suspension as part of its results-management process, where cases can proceed to adjudication and may be challenged through the applicable hearing and appeal mechanisms.
More Athletes Face NADA Action.
The list of sanctions also includes athletes from athletics and weightlifting.
National Inter-State bronze medallist sprinter Prakruthi Roopa Rao was provisionally suspended after testing positive for Stanozolol and Drostanolone. Gold medallist weightlifter Chelsi received a five-year ban after a doping violation at Khelo India Games.
A minor weightlifter was also on the provisional suspension list after testing positive for Oxandrolone. In athletics, quarter-miler Kaushal Kumar, steeplechaser Jujhar Singh and long-distance runner Baljeet Kaur were among those provisionally suspended. Seven names from athletics were on the latest provisional list.
NADA's official resources note that its 2026 prohibited list is based on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List, which came into effect on January 1, 2026. The results-management system of the agency has the ability for athletes and other persons involved in anti-doping rule violations to accept the sanctions or appeal the decision through the appropriate disciplinary and appeals process.
The recent cases underline the continuing anti-doping enforcement activity in Indian sport, and action is not limited to athletes who fail drug tests, but also to coaches and other individuals involved in the administration, possession or trafficking of prohibited substances.
