India’s Commonwealth Games contingent suffered a setback on the day of the Glasgow 2026 opening ceremony, with judoka Arun Kumar withdrawing from the competition after failing a drugs test.The rising 73kg judoka was declared ineligible following an adverse analytical result in an out-of-competition test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). His withdrawal reduces India’s athlete contingent from 125 to 124.Arun had been one of India’s brightest medal prospects in judo after enjoying a rapid rise through the junior and senior ranks. Training at the Inspire Sports Institute, he won gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Cup, followed by another gold at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open and a bronze at the Hong Kong Asian Open. Earlier this year, she also finished seventh at the prestigious Tashkent Grand Slam, earning her first Commonwealth Games selection.Arun’s withdrawal comes despite strict anti-doping checks carried out ahead of the Games. Indian athletes underwent two rounds of tests before leaving for Glasgow, while those training overseas were tested in coordination with anti-doping agencies in their host countries.The increased vigilance followed several recent cases of doping, particularly in weightlifting, where several Indian lifters tested positive before the Games, reducing the country’s weightlifting quota from 16 to 12 athletes.Along with NADA, the Athletics Integrity Unit and national sports federations monitored the athletes and educated them on anti-doping rules before the Games.India had initially released a 126-member athlete contingent for Glasgow. Following the recent withdrawals, including those of Arun Kumar, the country’s team has been reduced to 124 competitors.