Olympian Tulika Maan has been withdrawn from India’s Commonwealth Games squad after being provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist will miss the Glasgow Games after allegedly committing three whereabouts failures within a rolling 12-month period. Notably, she was among India’s leading medal contenders in the women’s +78kg judo event.
โShe has committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period and NADA has sent notice to her. So, she will be withdrawn from the team,โ a judo coach told PTI on condition of anonymity.
According to reports, the alleged whereabouts failures triggered a provisional suspension under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Tulika has since been summoned by NADA and appeared before the anti-doping body on Thursday, July 23.ย
Now, her withdrawal is the latest setback for the Indian judo contingent, which has not yet left for Glasgow. The team is scheduled to depart on July 27, with the judo competition beginning on July 31.
Tulika’s exit comes a day after another Indian judoka, Arun Kumar, in the men’s -73kg category, was withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games after failing an out-of-competition dope test.
What is whereabout failure?
Under the anti-doping rules, a whereabouts failure includes filing failures and missed tests. A filing failure occurs when an athlete does not submit or update mandatory location information for out-of-competition testing, while a missed test is recorded when a doping control officer cannot locate the athlete during the declared 60-minute testing window. Any combination of three filing failures or missed tests within 12 months constitutes an anti-doping rule violation and carries a standard sanction of two years unless successfully challenged.
Notably, the 27-year-old has been one of India’s leading judokas over the past decade. She was raised by her mother, who Delhi Police sub-inspector. After losing her father at a young age, Tulika switched from football to judo at the age of eight and trained under coach Yashpal Solanki, as Times of India reported.ย
She won a silver medal in the women’s +78kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, becoming only the second Indian judoka to achieve the feat. She later recovered from a serious knee injury to qualify for the Paris Olympics, where she represented India as India’s lone judoka.
Meanwhile, the final outcome of the case will depend on NADA’s proceedings. If the provisional suspension is upheld, Tulika could face a suspension of up to two years.
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