By Sushant Singh

NNIS Sports yesterday broke the news that Abhishek Pal, an Asian Games-bound athlete, has tested positive for a banned substance.

Pal recently won two medals at the Inter-State Championships, which also served as an Asian Games qualification event, taking GOLD in the 10,000m and SILVER in the 5,000m.

What makes this update more concerning is that he was expected to represent India in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the upcoming Asian Games 2026.

But the details that have emerged regarding the case make it a very interesting one. According to an article in The Tribune by Vinayak Padmadeo, Pal received an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from NADA after his sample showed the presence of clomiphene.

Clomiphene is a female fertility drug used to induce ovulation in women who are not ovulating and want to become pregnant.

Clomiphene is also sometimes prescribed off-label for male infertility or low testosterone, as it can stimulate the body’s own LH/FSH production rather than directly replacing testosterone.

The same substance also featured in the case of V. K. Vismaya, who was part of the 2018 Asian Games gold medal-winning 4x400m relay squad and tested positive for the same substance.

She later revealed that she was three months pregnant and had been using the drug, but had failed to mention it in her Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) application.

NADA provisionally suspended her in 2024. She later challenged the TUE issue in the Kerala High Court, arguing that the circumstances surrounding her fertility treatment should be taken into account.

Then, in April 2026, the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel imposed a two-year ban on her.

However, the drug used for fertility treatment in women has other potential effects in men, particularly in relation to sports performance.

Clomiphene is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) under the category of hormone and metabolic modulators. Athletes subject to anti-doping rules can therefore test positive for it.

Clomiphene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). In simple terms, it interferes with estrogen’s feedback signal to the brain.

This alters hormonal signalling. In men, it can increase LH and FSH levels and stimulate endogenous testosterone production.

WADA places clomiphene under S4.2 — Anti-estrogenic substances, within the Hormone and Metabolic Modulators category. It is prohibited both in competition and out of competition.

Pal has already sent his reply to NADA after it was alleged that the sample showed a concentration lower than two nanograms per millilitre (2 ng/mL), the minimum reporting level set by WADA.

If a sample shows the presence of a substance below the minimum reporting level, the agency has to investigate and determine whether it was a case of deliberate doping or was unintentional.

According to news reports, NADA investigated the finding before issuing the AAF.

The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships bronze medallist has also asked for an early hearing from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), as he is an Asian Games-bound athlete and was expected to represent India in both the 5,000m and 10,000m.

But with less than 15 days left until the Asian Games, his participation in the Asian Games appears to be under a cloud.