Olympian Kamalpreet Kaur receives three-year suspension for doping

In May of this year, Kamalpreet Kaur, age 26, received a temporary suspension after testing positive for the prohibited anabolic steroid stanozolol, which is on the World Athletics' list of prohibited drugs. Her samples had been examined by a Lausanne, Switzerland-based facility that was recognised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Both of the tests conducted on Kamalpreet Kaur's samples—one at a private lab and the other at the National Dope Testing Laboratory in New Delhi—returned positive results for stanozolol.

After speaking with the WADA to explain the adverse test result, the AIU came to the conclusion that Kamalpreet Kaur was unable to pinpoint the exact route the chemical had taken to enter her body, making her eligible for a four-year suspension.

However, Kamalpreet Kaur acknowledged her infraction within 20 days of getting the notification, allowing her to reduce the suspension by one year, making it effective March 29, 2022, a three-year suspension.

The discus thrower will no longer be eligible to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics or the next Asian Games. The discus throw national record holder Kamalpreet Kaur competed in her first Olympics in Tokyo 2020, where she placed sixth in the final.

In the list of Indians who have recently been subject to doping bans, Kamalpreet Kaur is joined by fellow discus thrower Navjeet Kaur Dhillon, sprinter Dhanalakshmi Sekar, and quarter-miler MR Poovamma. Shivpal Singh, a javelin thrower, has also been banned for doping.