A big setback to Indian wrestling. At least three female wrestlers have failed ‘random’ out of competition dope tests for performance enhancing drugs conducted by NADA
Paris Olympian and Asian Championships medallist, Reetika Hooda has failed a dope test for performance enhancing drug and has been provisionally suspended.
The test was conducted by the National Anti Doping Agency and she was provisionally suspended on July 7, 2025, Sportsbackstory.com has learnt.
World governing body in wrestling —United World Wrestling—has taken note of the anti-doping rule violation and NADA’s suspension.
Apart from Reetika, two more promising wrestlers have failed dope tests in the national camp and have been asked to leave.
She has been asked to quit the national camp in progress at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium, Delhi by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). “She has left the national camp,” said a WFI official.
Reetika, who hails from Rohtak in Haryana, was preparing for upcoming international competitions, including Senior World Championships scheduled to be held in Zagreb from September 13 to 21 in Croatia.
She was considered one of the main contenders for a medal at the Worlds in September this year. “It is a big setback to Indian wrestling,” a senior wrestling coach said.
At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the promising Haryana wrestler advanced to quarterfinals in the women’s 76kg. Reetika has been excelling on the mat at the international stage for the past seven years. She came to limelight winning gold at U23 worlds in women’s 76kg in 2023.
At the 2025 Senior Asian wrestling championships earlier this year in Jordan, Reetika clinched silver in women’s 76kg. She had also won bronze medal in the 2023 edition of the continental competition. In May she won gold at the Ulanbaatar Open ranking series.
The wrestling camp under the aegis of the WFI started last year after a long gap due to Indian wrestling body being suspended by the sports ministry. The issue was resolved and the sports ministry sanctioned funds for the camp as well as for international exposure tour for Indian wrestlers to prepare for major international events including Worlds and 2026 Asian Games.
