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≡ AIU SANCTIONS REPORT ≡
We’re halfway through 2026, so it’s time to revisit the Athletics Integrity Unit’s “Global List of Ineligible Persons” to look for trends in doping in track & field.
Unfortunately, there are more people than ever on this list.
The lengthy list shows 736 people on the roster, up from 683 people at the end of 2025 and 481 at the end of 2024, with 13 countries with 10 or more entries:
● 161 India (21.9% of the entire total)
● 148 Kenya (20.1%)
● 66 Russia (9.0%)
● 35 China (4.8%)
● 24 Ethiopia (3.3%)
● 20 Italy
● 19 South Africa
● 19 Turkey
● 19 Ukraine
● 17 United States
● 15 Morocco
● 13 Nigeria
● 10 Pakistan
So, the top three countries account for 51.0% of the total, and the total has risen 53.0% since the end of 2024! Compared with the top ten on the December 2025 list, and India has surged to the top:
● 140: Kenya
● 137: India
● 75: Russia
● 31: China
● 21: South Africa
● 19: Turkey
● 17: Ethiopia
● 17: Ukraine
● 15: Italy
● 15: United States
At the end of 2024:
● 119: Kenya
● 108: India
● 73: Russia
● 26: China
● 20: Turkey
● 18: Italy
● 18: South Africa
● 17: Ukraine
● 16: United States
● 15: Morocco
India, Kenya and Russia have been at the top of the listings now for multiple years; it’s worth noting that Indian ineligibles were 65 as late as 2022 and Kenyan ineligibles were 54 in 2022. China has also been rising, from 26 in 2024 to 31 at the end of 2025 and 35 now.
U.S. totals have stayed about the same: 16 at the end of 2024, then 15 at the end of 2025 and now 17 in mid-2026.
The AIU has been busy and it appears they are getting busier, and need to be. AIU Chair David Howman (NZL) said last December at the VI World Conference on Doping in Sport that the anti-doping movement cannot declare victory:
“But let’s be honest and pragmatic – the system has stalled. Intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection. We are not effective enough nowadays in catching cheats. We have great education programmes which help but they don’t impact the intentional rule-breakers in elite sport.
“Our ineffectiveness in dealing with those who are beating the rules is hurting the anti-doping movement’s credibility, with the resulting risk that our clean-sport message falls on deaf ears.”
He said that not only do anti-doping agencies need the most modern tools to find dopers, but that incentives to actually find cheaters – and not simply meet compliance standards – are needed. These have yet to be found.
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