SHOULD A DOPING BAN END AN ATHLETE’S RIGHT TO COACH?

There is nothing more powerful than writing or reading a redemption story in sport. Redemption stories teach us resilience, accountability, and survival, lessons that extend far beyond competition. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption.

But today, we ask a difficult question. One we will not answer directly. Instead, we present all sides of the debate and leave it to you to decide:

Doping is a menace that continues to corrode sport at every level. Yet, the reality is complex. There are many forms of doping, some deliberate, some accidental, and some cases where athletes are misled or tricked. Deciding intent is not our role today. What we are trying to understand is what comes after and how long punishment should truly last.

One of the biggest global examples that offers multiple perspectives is Dennis Mitchell.

A former American sprinter, Mitchell was part of the U.S. 4×100 m relay team that won Olympic gold in 1992. In 1998, he tested positive for elevated testosterone. He famously offered an unusual defence, claiming the result was caused by drinking beer and repeatedly having sex with his wife the night before the test. This explanation was rejected by the IAAF, leading to a two-year ban.

Later, during the BALCO investigations, Mitchell testified under oath that his then-coach, Trevor Graham, had injected him with HGH.

Despite this, Mitchell went on to become a high-profile sprint coach, leading Star Athletics in Florida and mentoring some of the world’s top sprinters, including Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Kenny Bednarek, Justin Gatlin, Aaron Brown, Javianne Oliver, and Twanisha Terry, among others.

His most recent success story was Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who stunned the world at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, dominating the sprints by winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4×100m relay.

However, controversy followed. Bracy-Williams received a 45-month USADA ban for multiple anti-doping rule violations, including anabolic steroids and whereabouts failures. Bracy-Williams was training within Mitchell’s programme at the time of his positive test.

GABBY THOMAS CALLS FOR LIFETIME BANS ON COACHES

Paris Olympics 200m champion Gabby Thomas used her Instagram stories and social media posts to issue a strong message.

She wrote:

“Doping coaches should be banned for life from coaching in the sport. Whether you were banned while competing as an athlete or caught distributing as a coach (for some, both).

Idc idc idc.

If you train under a coach who is known for doping (once, twice, or even three times for some), you are complicit. That’s my stance.”

INDIA’S PERSPECTIVE

India, unfortunately, has made global headlines less for podium finishes and more for doping numbers.

As per WADA’s 2024 testing figures, India recorded 260 adverse analytical findings from 7,113 samples, a positivity rate of 3.6%, the highest among major countries conducting more than 5,000 tests.

One of the most significant coaching-related cases emerged in 2022 involving Mickey Menezes. The athletics coach was handed a four-year ban by NADA after a minor athlete training under him tested positive for drostanolone, an anabolic steroid. The athlete was also initially banned for four years.

However, the athlete’s ban was later reduced to two years on appeal after she testified that Menezes had administered injections and supplements that led to the positive test.

During the appeal, she stated that another athlete had also been given similar substances.

More recently, Sandeep Maan was suspended by NADA after his 19-year-old athlete, Sanjana, tested positive for multiple prohibited substances.

Another high-profile appointment reignited the debate when JSW Sports hired Troy Douglas, a former World Championships medallist who tested positive for nandrolone in 1999, as Head Coach of the Athletics Programme at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary.

Unlike national federations, private organisations operate in a grey zone, accountable to results, not public policy.

Douglas’s hiring raised a critical question:

Should private sports bodies follow the same ethical standards as public institutions?

Or does performance justify second chances?

GOVERNMENT FACILITIES AND DOUBLE STANDARDS?

At government-run facilities, Ashwini Akkunji, once banned for anabolic steroids, is currently a coach with the Sports Authority of India.

Akkunji, one of India’s most successful quarter-milers, tested positive for methandienone in 2011 during the Asian Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, where she was part of India’s gold-medal-winning 4×400 m relay team.

NNIS Sports has also learned through multiple sources that 2019 Asian Athletics Championships silver medallist javelin thrower Shivpal Singh is currently pursuing the NIS coaching course in Kolkata, despite being under a doping suspension.

What makes Shivpal’s case even more complex is that this is his second doping offence.

First offence (2021–2023): Handed a four-year ban for testing positive for methandienone, later reduced to one year after he successfully argued contaminated supplements.

Second offence (2025): Suspended again after returning an out-of-competition positive test in May 2025 and may face a ban of up to eight years.

Despite this, he has been enrolled in the 63rd batch of the Diploma Course in Sports Coaching (2025–26) at NIS Kolkata.

In July 2020, the Sports Authority of India announced a revised admission policy for NSNIS’s Diploma in Sports Coaching. Indian Olympians, World Championship participants, and Asian or Commonwealth Games medallists would receive direct entry without an entrance exam, subject to medical and eligibility conditions.

However, the 2025–26 NSNIS prospectus clearly states:

“Candidates suspended under doping offences are not eligible to apply during their suspension period.”

If the rule exists, how did this happen?

And if it did happen, for whom do the rules actually exist?

NNIS Sports spoke to NIS in charge Kamal Ali, who clarified:

“If an athlete has been officially banned, they are not admitted to the NIS course. Clearance from NADA or WADA is mandatory. Without written clearance, entry is not permitted. These rules apply to everyone.”

ATHLETES SPEAK

World U20 medallist Rupal Chaudhary was firm:

“I won’t be able to train under such a coach. It creates trust issues.”

Asian Games medallist Tajinderpal Singh Toor disagreed:

“I will take responsibility for the coaching. Many times, athletes get trapped because of supplements. Not everyone takes them knowingly.”

Young javelin thrower Dipanshu Sharma took a balanced view:

“If you’ve been banned once, it’s understandable. If it has happened twice, it becomes a risk.”

Asian Games medallist Ram Baboo was brutally honest:

“I want results. But yes, labels stick to athletes as much as to coaches.”

We’ve laid out every perspective.

Now it’s up to you to decide:

Should a doping ban end an athlete’s right to coach?

Indian athletics’ presence in the U.S. collegiate system continues to expand, with the 2026 season shaping up to be another significant chapter.

With access to world-class facilities, high-quality weekly competitions, and elite coaching environments, the U.S. collegiate pathway has become increasingly important for Indian athletes aiming to bridge the gap between national success and global standards.

Athletes like Pavana Nagraj, Tejaswin Shankar, Selva Prabhu, Lokesh Sathyanathan, Krishna Jayasankar, Pradeep Senthilkumar, and Madhvendra Shekhawat underline this growing momentum.

PAVANA NAGRAJ

The 19-year-old opened her season in sensational fashion, registering a lifetime-best 6.47m to set a new Indian indoor national record, finishing on top at the Owen Hewitt Invitational while representing Oklahoma State University.

Pavana is the daughter of India’s former high jump national record holder Sahana Kumari, continuing a strong family legacy in Indian athletics.

SELVA PRABHU

India’s U20 triple jump national record holder began his season with a 16.49m effort at the Thane Baker Invitational, shattering both the meet and facility records.

The 21-year-old, a 2022 U20 Asian silver medallist, owns a personal best of 16.78m set in 2023, which also stands as India’s U20 national record.

TEJASWIN SHANKAR

India’s national record holder in the high jump and decathlon opened his season at the Thane Baker Invitational, competing in the 60m hurdles and shot put.

His results included 8.16s in the 60m hurdles heats, 8.13s in the final, and a 13.41m throw in the shot put.

He is also set to represent India in the heptathlon at the Asian Indoor Championships 2026.

MADHVENDRA SHEKHAWAT

Shekhawat began his 2026 campaign by clocking 7.84s over the 60m hurdles to finish second at the Corky Classic.

He followed it up with 7.88s in both the heats and final at the Spokane Indoor Challenge, finishing on top.

With his 2025 season ending early in May, this year marks a crucial comeback phase. As he turns his focus outdoors, the Asian Games qualification standard of 13.63s in the 110m hurdles looms, with his lifetime best standing at 13.70s, achieved in 2025.

KRISHNA JAYASANKAR

The 24-year-old began her season with a 15.99m throw in the women’s shot put at an indoor meet in the USA.

Last season, she registered a lifetime best of 16.03m, which placed her sixth on India’s 2025 national list.

If you ask which is the hardest event in athletics, most answers will point to the pole vault. It is highly technical, extremely gruelling, and dangerous at the same time. One small mistake can lead to an injury that lasts a lifetime.

In recent years, the world has witnessed outstanding performances in the event, with Mondo Duplantis redefining excellence by creating multiple world records. In India, however, pole vault remained stalled, slightly unknown for a long time. Not many athletes at the domestic level took up the event due to its risky nature and unpredictability.

As a result, despite India dominating several disciplines at the Asian Games, no Indian male pole vaulter has ever officially qualified for or competed in the pole vault event at the Asian Games.

Beyond the technical challenges of the sport, travelling with poles itself is a major hurdle that athletes face while competing across the country.

At the recently concluded All India Inter-University Athletics Championships 2026, held from January 12–16, around 4,288 athletes from 312 universities competed across events. While athletes from most disciplines returned home after the competition with a sense of relief, the real struggle began for the pole vaulters.

After competing on the final day in the pole vault final, they were left figuring out how to transport their equipment back to their training bases.

Among them were two of India’s finest pole vaulters — Kuldeep Yadav and India’s current national record holder Dev Meena, both training at the DSWY Academy in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Kuldeep, who broke the meet record by clearing 5.10m to win gold at the championships, faced an even more challenging situation while travelling back with the same poles.

While travelling from Mangaluru to Bhopal, the group had to change trains at Panvel Railway Station. However, the entire group was stopped from boarding by the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE), who stated that they were not allowed to travel with the poles.

When the athletes tried to resolve the issue and requested permission to board the train, railway officials refused to listen, which ultimately led to them missing their train.

They were then forced to wait for more than five hours at the station. Even after requesting to speak to senior officials and offering to pay a fine, they were still not allowed to continue their journey.

“We are currently at Panvel Railway Station in Maharashtra, where the senior TT saw our poles and stopped us from boarding the train, because of which we missed it. We were travelling back to Bhopal after competing at the All-India Inter-University Championships. They made us wait for more than five hours and harassed us,” Dev Meena said in a video sent from the station.

“If we are facing these problems, how are we supposed to motivate junior athletes to take up pole vault for their future?” added the 21-year-old, who bettered India’s national record three times in 2025.

“I request Indian Railways to do something for athletes so that our sports equipment can travel without disturbance. Even if we need to pay extra charges, we are ready for it. This equipment’s are extremely expensive — a single pole costs around ₹2 lakh,” Dev added.

Dev Meena, the son of a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, is no ordinary athlete. He is the youngest ever national record holder in the men’s pole vault, with a best of 5.40m.

Last season, he rewrote the national record not once, not twice, but three times, improving it from 5.31m to 5.40m.

The Asian Games 2026 qualifying standard for men’s pole vault stands at 5.45m, a mark Dev is confident of achieving.

As India takes confident steps toward becoming a global sporting power, these seemingly small yet impactful logistical issues need urgent attention. Addressing them can significantly boost motivation and ensure that young athletes are not discouraged from choosing sport as a career.

Sixteen athletes represented India in Tianjin over three days at the Asian Indoors, but it was Tejaswin Shankar who ensured the Indian National Anthem echoed on Chinese soil on the final day of the championships.

Competing in seven events over two gruelling days is never easy.

Tejaswin not only entered combined events but achieved remarkable success—breaking national records multiple times and winning silver at the Asian Games 2023, along with bronze and silver at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2023 and 2025, respectively.

At the Asian Indoors, Tejaswin won gold on the final day with a lifetime-best score of 5,993 points—a new national record. He bettered his previous mark of 5,650 by a massive 343 points.

However, after the competition, Tejaswin tweeted:

“Never won a gold at a major championship before… always dreamt about it… thought it makes you happy…

Set a championship record…

But I’m the saddest person today…

2 days of labour and 7 points short…

Sports is cruel.”

Speaking exclusively to NNIS Sports from the airport while waiting for his flight, Tejaswin said:

“I wasn’t worried about breaking the national record. My goal was to break the 6,000-point barrier because that’s like an entry point into being truly world-class. That was really on my mind.”

“After the pole vault, all the targets I had set for myself—I either met them or did better. So, I knew I was on track for 6,000. In my worst races, I can run 2:41 in the 1,000m.”

“The only place where I missed was between 600m and 800m. In the fourth lap, I slowed down a bit. I let the Japanese athlete Yuma pass me and thought I’d feed off his pace. That was my biggest mistake. That small error of 5–10 seconds shattered my 6,000-point plan. In the end, I was seven points short.”

TEJASWIN SHANKAR’S EVENT-WISE BREAKDOWN

60m – 7.11s (PB) | 844 pts

Long Jump – 7.53m | 942 pts

Shot Put – 13.63m | 706 pts

High Jump – 2.23m | 1021 pts

60m H – 8.02s (PB) | 977 pts

Pole Vault – 4.20m (PB) | 673 pts

1000m – 2:43.91 | 830 pts

A CRUCIAL YEAR AHEAD

This is a very important year for Tejaswin. With the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled just a month apart, the workload will be intense. He is the bronze medallist in high jump at the last Commonwealth Games and the silver medallist in decathlon at the last Asian Games.

Competing in the decathlon at two major championships and attending qualification trials means he may have to compete up to four times in almost four months.

ON MANAGING THIS SCHEDULE, TEJASWIN EXPLAINED:

“Physically, there’s only so much you can do. If you’re doing 10 events at a high level and aiming for 8,000 points, you need to hit that mark twice and once around 7,700. You have to be very strategic.”

“You can do one event 20–23 times a week, but doing 10 events repeatedly and perfectly is extremely hard. It’s almost impossible. So it’s crucial to decide which competitions to do and which to avoid. But you can’t skip the Commonwealth Games or Asian Games.”

He added:

“For the Commonwealth Games, I need to compete at the Federation Cup. For the Asian Games, the Inter-State meet is mandatory. I’ll also compete once in April before the Federation Cup, most probably in the USA, where I’m currently training.”

“That will help me understand where I stand and what small changes I need before the Federation Cup. Just imagine doing five decathlons while chasing 8,000 points—that’s too much for the body.”

“So, there are two options: either I plan strategically, or I consult the federation so we can reach a proper conclusion.”