Doping Violation Leads to Withdrawal of Indian Judoka Tulika Mann from CWG 2026

Tulika Mann Withdrawn from Commonwealth Games

India's representation at the Commonwealth Games (CWG 2026) has faced another setback with the withdrawal of prominent medal hopeful Tulika Mann. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has found her guilty of a doping infraction, leading to her exclusion from the competition. Tulika was scheduled to compete in the women's 78 KG category, which is set for the final two days of the event on August 1 and 2. She has been provisionally suspended due to a 'whereabouts failure,' as outlined in a letter from NADA, which cites a breach of 'Article 2.4 of National Anti-Doping Rules, 2021.' A whereabouts failure occurs when an athlete either misses a doping test or fails to provide accurate location information for out-of-competition testing. Reports indicate that Tulika missed two tests in 2025.

Impact on India's Judo Team

With the withdrawal of Tulika, India's Judo contingent has decreased from 14 to 12 members. She is the second judoka to be suspended by NADA, following the announcement that men's 73 kg wrestler Arun Kumar has also been implicated in a doping violation and will not compete. Tulika previously secured a silver medal at the 2022 Games held in Birmingham, establishing herself as one of India's top judokas. Historically, India has achieved 11 medals in judo at the Commonwealth Games, with three of those coming from the last edition. As several of India's strong sports are not featured in the revamped 2026 games, there was optimism that judo could contribute significantly to the medal tally, with Tulika seen as a potential candidate for India's first gold in this discipline. The judo events are scheduled to commence on July 31 and will run until August 2.