Shot putter Karanveer, discus thrower Kirpal’s four-year ban reduced to two years by NADA appeal panel

Shot putter Karanveer Singh and discus thrower Kirpal Singh are eligible to return to competitions in a couple of months as the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has reduced their four-year ban periods for failing dope tests in 2023 to two years.

The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) of the NADA had handed both the athletes four-year bans in an order dated December 29, 2023.

The 25-year-old Karanveer, who had won a bronze in the 2023 Federation Cup, had returned positive for methandienone and SARMS enobosarm. He was pulled out of the Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok in July 2023.

Kirpal, who had won gold in 2023 National Inter-State Championships, had tested positive for stanozolol.

But the ADAP has set aside the ADDP decision and handed both the athletes two-year bans, though no details are available yet. Both the decisions were given on March 28, 2025, according to the website of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

Both will serve bans starting from July 26, 2023 and thus they will be free to compete on July 26, 2025.

The same is also in case of judoka Hardeep Singh Brar, who had tested positive for SARMS LGD-4033 and SARMS enobosarm. He was handed a four-year ban from June 20, 2023 onwards by the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

The ADAP also set aside the Disciplinary Panel decision and handed him two-year ban, which started from July 26, 2023. He will also be able to compete from July 26, 2025 onwards.

Meanwhile, nine Indians figured in the latest list of sanctions handed for doping and non-doping violations in the month of April by Athletics Integrity Unit of the World Athletics.

The nine Indians include the likes of Pradhan Kirulkar and Vivek More, who have have been banned for three and five years, respectively, by the Athletics Integrity Unit after they returned positive for prohibited substances in tests conducted at the Pune Half Marathon in December 2024.

Kenya has five athletes in the list while three are from Pakistan.