India’s Commonwealth Games contingent has taken a severe hit as star judoka and 2022 Birmingham silver medalist Tulika Maan received a provisional suspension from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
Tulika Maan provisionally suspended amidst CWG 2026
The Olympian, who was widely considered a frontrunner for a medal in the women’s +78kg category, has been sidelined for alleged whereabouts failures—effectively ending her Glasgow 2026 campaign before she could even board the flight out of India.
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As reported by TOI, Maan accumulated three whereabouts failures within a 12-month rolling period. Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, such infractions occur through filing failures—failing to update mandatory location details for out-of-competition testing, or missed tests, where testing officers cannot find the athlete during their specified 60-minute window.
Any combination of three such lapses within a year is treated as an anti-doping rule violation, carrying a potential two-year suspension unless the athlete can successfully dispute the charges. Following the provisional ban, Maan has been formally summoned by NADA and is set to present her case before the panel this Thursday.
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Tulika Maan out of India's CWG squad following NADA suspension
India’s 2026 Commonwealth Games preparations have taken another hit, as the provisional suspension of judoka Tulika Maan has reduced the national delegation to 122 athletes. The heavyweight contender will miss out on the event as her teammates prepare to travel to Glasgow on July 27 for matches beginning July 31.
Over the last ten years, the 27-year-old has established herself as a cornerstone of Indian judo. Raised by her mother, Amrita—a sub-inspector in the Delhi Police—after her father passed away during her childhood, Tulika began training under coach Yashpal Solanki at age eight after making the switch from football.
Tulika made headlines at the 2022 Birmingham Games by securing a silver medal in the +78kg class. She backed up that success by overcoming a severe knee injury to earn a spot as India’s solitary judo athlete at the Paris Olympic Games. However, her impressive trajectory now faces a major hurdle. If NADA upholds the suspension following her hearing, she faces a potential two-year ban from competition.