Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), Government of India, today organised the Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, industry representatives, and experts to strengthen India’s sports goods ecosystem and promote indigenous manufacturing.

On this occasion, formal announcement was made regarding NABL accreditation and FSSAI referral lab approval for the two Nutritional Supplement Testing labs established under a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and the respective institutions, namely:

1. Centre of Excellence for Research and Analysis of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and

2. Analytical Testing Laboratory, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad.

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the two institutions and underscored the significance of this pioneering initiative.

Nutritional supplements are widely used by athletes, but the absence of dedicated testing facilities in India has often exposed them to the risk of inadvertent doping--unknowingly consuming unsafe or contaminated products that are banned in sports and that could lead to positive doping tests.

For the first time in the country, specialized laboratories for testing World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-prohibited substances in nutritional supplements have been established. These facilities will ensure the safety and quality of supplements, prevent unintentional doping violations, and promote fair play in sports.

The establishment of these referral laboratories marks a major step in strengthening India’s anti-doping framework, building scientific capacity, and providing athletes with reliable, certified nutritional products.

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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander