New Delhi, Oct 27: India plans to further amend its anti-doping law to introduce criminal provisions for doping-related violations, including those involving coaches and supply-chain stakeholders, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

Mandaviya made the announcement in the third formal meeting of the Bureau of the 10th Conference of Parties (COP10) and the fourth formal meeting of the Fund's Approval Committee for 2026-27 under UNESCO's International Convention against Doping in Sport in New Delhi.

He said India remained committed to ensuring clean sport and providing athletes with a fair opportunity to compete on the basis of talent, preparation and hard work rather than prohibited substances or methods.

The minister said the country had strengthened its legal and institutional framework through the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, and its 2025 amendment, both of which came into force in July 2026. He added that the government would bring another amendment in the next session of Parliament to make the framework more effective.

The proposed changes would introduce criminal provisions to deal with violations, including those involving coaches and people in the supply chain, Mandaviya said.

Highlighting the government's efforts to tackle doping, the minister said the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) conducted more than 7,000 tests during 2025-26. It also held over 350 education and awareness sessions, reaching around 27,000 participants.

He said NADA had focused on risk-based testing and intelligence-led investigations as part of its anti-doping efforts. The government has also been using digital tools to help athletes make informed decisions about medicines. According to Mandaviya, the Know Your Medicine mobile application has recorded more than five lakh searches, helping users check information about medicines.

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Separately, Mandaviya highlighted plans to introduce UNESCO's Sport Values in Every Classroom toolkit in India through a memorandum of understanding involving the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Ministry of Education and UNESCO.

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The initiative aims to take sporting values, ethics and integrity into classrooms and reach millions of young people. The meetings in New Delhi focused on strengthening international cooperation against doping, improving the implementation of the UNESCO convention and building the capacity of countries to tackle the problem. Discussions also covered resource mobilisation, compliance and the Fund's operational strategy for 2026-2031.

The inaugural session was attended by Farid Gayibov, Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports and Chairperson of the COP10 Bureau; Luke McCann, Chairperson of the Fund's Approval Committee; Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary (Sports), Government of India; and Gustavo Merino, Director for Social Policies and Inclusion at UNESCO, among other representatives.