Olympian Javelin Thrower Shivpal Singh Faces Fresh Doping Allegations

Pratiksha Ghosh 

NEW DELHI, May 20 2025 — Indian javelin thrower and Olympian Shivpal Singh has once again landed in trouble over doping charges, after his sample tested positive for methandienone which is an anabolic steroid banned under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

The 29-year-old athlete, who had competed in the Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. The positive test reportedly stems from an out-of-competition sample collected earlier this year while he was training at the National Centre of Excellence in Patiala under the guidance of javelin coach Sergey Makarov.

This marks Shivpal’s second doping offence. He was previously handed a four-year suspension in 2021, which was later reduced to one year in January 2023. He had then successfully argued before NADA’s Anti-Doping Appeal Panel that the violation resulted from a contaminated supplement — a claim supported by his transparency on the doping control form.

If the current charges are upheld, Shivpal could face a suspension of up to eight years, as per the rules governing repeat offences.However, the athlete has denied the allegations .

“It’s not true. I am not under any suspension. I am still in Patiala training,” Shivpal told The Tribune on Monday. When asked about his absence from April’s Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi, he further said, “I wasn’t performing well. I’ll compete only when I’m consistently hitting the 85-metre mark. Competing with a 77-metre throw serves no purpose.”

Shivpal’s claim was contradicted by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla. “He is not in the camp and not in Patiala,” Sumariwalla stated . He also added that AFI had taken all necessary actions in accordance with protocol.

Some Sources confirmed that Shivpal was removed from the National Centre of Excellence after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) issued a directive on April 23.