4 min readUpdated: Apr 20, 2026 01:46 PM IST Pointing out that there is an “extremely high” risk of doping in India, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board has downgraded the Indian athletics federation (AFI) from ‘Category B’ to ‘Category A’ under Rule 15 of the World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules. This comes in a year when India’s track and field athletes will be competing at Asian Games in Japan and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In July last year, when an Indian delegation had made their pitch to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Olympic headquarters in Lausanne to bring home the 2036 Olympics, India’s track record on doping was one of the issues that was highlighted by the IOC, besides other issues like governance. This re-classification of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) means that India’s track and field athletes will now have to comply with more stringent anti-doping stipulations. According to Rule 15 of the World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules, national federations are categorized as Category ‘A’, Category ‘B’ or Category ‘C’ member …