Swapna Barman provisionally suspended after testing positive for boldenone, NADA says

Former Asian Games heptathlon gold medallist Swapna Barman was provisionally suspended in athletics after testing positive for the endogenous steroid boldenone, according to information published by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on August 20, 2026.

Barman, 29, won the Asian Games heptathlon in Jakarta in 2018 with a personal best of 6,026 points and was the Asian champion in 2017. She finished fourth at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and took a break from competition in 2024 before placing third at the National Open championships in Bengaluru last year. The Bengal athlete entered politics prior to the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year and announced her retirement from athletics on July 31.

The NADA notice also detailed a separate disciplinary ruling: former Asian silver medallist javelin thrower Shivpal Singh has been handed a 10-year suspension for a second doping offence after testing positive for methandienone, with his period of ineligibility backdated to start on March 27, 2025. Singh previously received a four-year ban in 2022 that was reduced to one year on appeal.

Sprinter M.V. Jilna has been provisionally suspended for a second anti-doping violation after testing positive for mephentermine; the 28-year-old had completed an initial three-year suspension in July 2025 and returned to competition this year before the current action.

Middle-distance runner Sanjana Singh received a five-year suspension, effective from November 7, 2025, following positive tests for methandienone and oxandrolone; she had won two gold medals at the South Asian meet in Ranchi last year.

All of the provisional suspensions and sanctions were disclosed in the NADA publication released on August 20, 2026.