NEW DELHI: Former Asian silver medallist and Tokyo Olympian Shivpal Singh has been handed a 10-year suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) Disciplinary Panel after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid methandienone in what has been deemed his second doping offence.The 31-year-old javelin thrower’s career now faces a major setback, with the length of the sanction potentially bringing an end to his competitive career.Shivpal’s biggest achievement came at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha, where he won silver with a personal-best throw of 86.23m. He also represented India at the Tokyo Olympics.The latest sanction follows an earlier doping case involving the thrower in 2021, when his sample from an out-of-competition test returned positive for a steroid.

From four-year ban to early return

The NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel had initially handed Shivpal a four-year ban in August 2022, backdated to 2021.However, Shivpal successfully challenged the punishment before NADA’s Appeal Panel, arguing that his positive test had resulted from “contaminated supplements”. In January 2023, the Appeal Panel accepted his contention and reduced the ban from four years to one.That allowed Shivpal to return to competition in April 2023. He subsequently won bronze at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar in June that year before claiming gold at the 2023 National Games in Goa.His latest case, however, has resulted in a significantly harsher sanction because it is being treated as a second anti-doping rule violation.

More Indian athletes face doping action

Shivpal is not the only Indian athlete facing disciplinary proceedings in recent cases. Sprinter MV Jilna has been provisionally suspended for a second offence after testing positive for mephentermine.The latest anti-doping action also includes former Asian Games heptathlon champion Swapna Barman, who has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned anabolic-androgenic steroid boldenone.Despite announcing her retirement earlier this month, Barman remains subject to the anti-doping process. A source familiar with the case said she will have to appear for a hearing and can seek analysis of her B sample.Hockey player Mayank Sharma has been banned for four years for failing an out-of-competition test, while 19-year-old runner Sanjana Singh has received a five-year ban after testing positive for prohibited steroids.