Tulika Maan withdrawn from Commonwealth Games over whereabouts failures
Tulika Maan, a silver medallist in judo from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been withdrawn from the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This decision follows scrutiny regarding alleged whereabouts failures. The president of the Judo Federation of India (JFI), Mukesh Kumar, confirmed the development, stating that the matter is under investigation.
According to Mukesh Kumar, Tulika Maan did not disclose her whereabouts, which is a requirement for athletes under anti-doping regulations. Athletes are mandated to provide their location details to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for testing purposes. Kumar indicated that Maan has been called to the NADA office for further proceedings.
This incident marks another setback for India’s judo contingent at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Just a day prior, judoka Arun Kumar, competing in the 73kg category, was ruled out after an adverse analytical finding from an out-of-competition dope test conducted by NADA. The Indian judo competition at the 2026 Games is scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 2.
Details of whereabouts failures
A judo coach, speaking anonymously, stated that Tulika Maan committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, leading to NADA issuing a notice. As a result, she will be withdrawn from the team. A whereabouts failure is an anti-doping compliance issue that can stem from either filing failures or missed tests.
Filing failures occur when an athlete fails to submit or update the mandatory location information required for out-of-competition testing. A missed test is recorded if a doping control officer cannot locate the athlete during their declared 60-minute testing window. Anti-doping rules stipulate that any combination of three filing failures or missed tests within a rolling 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation. Such violations can result in a ban of one to two years.
The whereabouts system is an anti-doping regulation designed to enable authorities to conduct random, no-notice out-of-competition testing on elite athletes. Athletes included in a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to submit their location details every three months via WADA’s ADAMS platform or the Athlete Central app. Additionally, they must specify a fixed 60-minute time slot each day during which they will be available at a particular location for testing.
Impact on India’s judo prospects
Tulika Maan was considered one of India’s strongest medal hopes in judo for the Glasgow Games. She previously secured a silver medal in the women’s +78kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, becoming the second Indian judoka to achieve this. Her breakthrough at the 2022 Commonwealth Games was followed by her qualification for the Paris Olympics, where she represented India as the country’s sole judoka after overcoming a serious knee injury.
The provisional suspension casts uncertainty over the future of Tulika Maan’s career. The final outcome will depend on the proceedings before NADA. If the charge is upheld, she could face a suspension of up to two years, which would significantly impact her career and India’s medal prospects in future international events.
This is not an isolated incident for Indian athletes. Sprinter Hima Das received a 16-month retrospective suspension from NADA for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, with her suspension running from July 22, 2023, to November 21, 2025. Boxer Parveen Hooda was also suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for whereabouts failures, with her suspension lasting from April 2022 to March 2023, and she was stripped of her bronze medal from the 2022 Asian Games. The Indian judo team has not yet departed for the Games, with their scheduled departure set for July 27.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
