The International Testing Agency and Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation join forces to strengthen clean sport

The ITA’s partnership with Caribbean RADO focuses on harmonising testing efforts to ensure an effective allocation of resources and intelligence-led programs at both national and international levels. The collaboration also supports the exchange of information between the ITA and the Caribbean RADO to the benefit of potential investigations and intelligence-led doping controls in the countries and for the athletes it represents. Finally, the collaboration also extends to identifying mutual efficiencies and opportunities for capacity building in the area of anti-doping education.

The Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization is based in Barbados and acts as the secretariat to coordinate anti-doping efforts in the countries of Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Virgin Islands (US), Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands. It was established in 2005, one year after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) created the RADO program to strengthen the protection of athletes in regions where countries organise their anti-doping efforts within regional conglomerates and is one of three RADOs in the Americas. It is the third RADO to enter a partnership with the ITA after the Central Asian and Panamerican RADOs.

“We are very pleased to officialise our collaboration with the Caribbean RADO and strengthen our network of partnerships in the Americas,” said ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “Through our joint agreement we can work hand in hand to enhance anti-doping efforts for international-level athletes from the countries the Caribbean RADO represents and those who are tested within their territory. Seamless information-sharing between our two organisations will furthermore ensure that investigations into any potential doping offences can be conducted across borders and regions. I welcome the Caribbean RADO to our network of partnerships with national and regional anti-doping organisations and look forward to working with them for our joint cause of fair play and clean sport.”

“The Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization is committed to fostering a clean-sport environment, ensuring that our member countries are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, while protecting the rights of athletes,” said Patrick Werleman, Chairman of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization. “As such, we focus on establishing key partnerships with regional and international organizations. We are enthusiastic about the new collaboration agreement between the Caribbean RADO and the International Testing Agency (ITA). We have worked well with the ITA on numerous occasions; and this MOU further highlights our continued commitment to the delivery of high-quality anti-doping services. The Caribbean RADO coordinates most of the sample collection in our member countries on behalf of local, regional, and international sporting bodies. This collaboration with the ITA is especially valuable in the areas of testing, information sharing and intelligence. We are looking forward to working closer and more effectively with the ITA to the benefit of our member countries and the Caribbean region as a whole.”

The ITA has already established bilateral collaboration agreements with over 30 National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisations on all continents of the world. The ITA strongly believes that the anti-doping community is able to bring the support of athletes to the next level by working hand-in-hand with all other anti-doping organisations. Consequently, the ITA will continue to welcome to its network any National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisation that wishes to strengthen synergies between national and international level anti-doping programs.

Standing up together for clean sport: The ITA enters collaboration with Drug Free Sport New Zealand

The ITA notifies German weightlifter Vicky Schlittig of an apparent anti-doping rule violation

THE INTERNATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (ITA), LEADING AN INDEPENDENT ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM FOR THE INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION (IWF), HAS NOTIFIED GERMAN WEIGHTLIFTER VICKY SCHLITTIG OF AN APPARENT ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATION.

The ITA publishes the first-ever NOC Anti-Doping Education Guidebook

The resource was designed by the ITA to support all National Olympic Committees taking part in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 with the Anti-Doping Education of their athletes and athlete support personnel ahead of the games.

ITA Webinar – The Prohibited List & TUEs – Overview and Changes for 2022

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The Prohibited List is one of the most important anti-doping documents that athletes and athlete support personnel need to be aware of, and to understand. But what is it, and how is it best navigated? And how can Therapeutic Use Exemptions grant permission to use a medication on the Prohibited List?

The ITA is granted observer status of the Monitoring Group for the Council of Europe’s Anti-Doping Convention

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has been granted observer status with the monitoring group of the Anti-Doping Convention of the Council of Europe. The convention lays down binding rules on the 47 member states of the Council of Europe and 5 other states (Australia, Belarus, Canada, Morocco, and Tunisia) with a view to harmonise anti-doping regulations and to promote the important role of sport in moral and physical education as well as in international understanding.

The ITA asserts ADRV against Russian weightlifter Rodion Bochkov

The ITA asserts multiple Anti-Doping Rule Violations against Russian weightlifter Rodion Bochkov

The ITA issues a decision sanctioning Ning Liu to a lifetime period of ineligibility for administration of prohibited substances and complicity

The International Testing Agency (ITA) reports that it has issued a decision to sanction former doctor of the Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association, Ning Liu to a lifetime period of ineligibility for anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) of administration and complicity.

The ITA successfully prosecutes three Russian weightlifters based on WADA I&I investigations, Prof McLaren report and LIMS data

THE INTERNATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (ITA) REPORTS THAT THE INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION (IWF) HEARING PANEL HAS ISSUED DECISIONS TO SANCTION RUSSIAN WEIGHTLIFTERS ANDREI DEMANOV, ARSEN BORAGANOV AND ALEKSEY EMELYANEKO WITH ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATIONS (ADRVS) FOR THE PRESENCE AND/OR USE OF PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES.

Tokyo 2020: ITA succeeded in fully implementing anti-doping program for Olympic Games despite challenging COVID-19 circumstances

A TOTAL OF 6’200 COLLECTED SAMPLES FROM OVER 5’000 DOPING CONTROLS, MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THE ATHLETE POPULATION IN TOKYO TESTED AT LEAST ONCE – THESE ARE THE FINAL FIGURES OF ITA’S ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM FOR TOKYO 2020. SIX ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATIONS WERE ASSERTED TO THIS MOMENT AS THE OUTCOME OF ITA’S TESTING PROGRAM. THE VAST MAJORITY OF DOPING CONTROLS WERE TARGETED AND FOLLOWED A QUALITY APPROACH BASED ON AN EXTENSIVE RISK ASSESSMENT, PERFORMANCE, AND AVAILABLE INTELLIGENCE. THE LAST PHASE OF ITA’S COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM FOR TOKYO 2020 IS THE STORAGE AND LATER RE-ANALYSIS OF SAMPLES COLLECTED DURING AND IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE GAMES.

The ITA is ready to deliver a robust anti-doping program for the 2023 Tour de France

Clean Strokes only: FINA extends partnership with the ITA for another two years

IWGA entrusts ITA with the independent anti-doping program for The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama

The International Testing Agency (ITA) is set to manage yet another independent and expert-led anti-doping program for a major event, after completing its missions for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 and the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. The International World Games Association (IWGA) has entered a collaboration with the ITA for its next major event, The World Games 2022, to be held in July in Birmingham, Alabama (USA).

Managing TUEs during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 – A guide for athletes

The ITA is granted observer status of the Monitoring Group for the Council of Europe’s Anti-Doping Convention

The ITA had filed an application to be granted observer status earlier this year, and it was unanimously confirmed by the parties to the Anti-Doping Convention in July 2021. The Monitoring Group of the Convention surveys its application, examines any necessary modifications, holds consultations with any necessary stakeholders, recommends the appropriate measures to keep relevant organisations and the public informed about the activities undertaken within its framework and makes any proposal to improve its effectiveness. The Group also approves the list of pharmacological classes of doping agents and doping methods and the criteria for the accreditation of laboratories.

ITA welcomes WADA global and regional leaders to discuss complementary actions for clean sport

In order to strengthen the worldwide complementary activities of the ITA and WADA and to discuss concrete joint actions in favour of clean sport, ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen welcomed WADA global and regional leaders to ITA's Lausanne headquarters last week. Next to a deeper exchange on specific projects, both organisations recognised the importance of creating increased awareness of each organisation’s respective roles and responsibilities by various stakeholders.

ITA Chair addresses National Olympic Committees at ANOC General Assembly

Dr Valérie Fourneyron, the chair of the ITA Foundation Board, was honoured to address National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and representatives of the international sports movement at the 25th ANOC General Assembly. the focus was on the successful cooperation in the implementation of the independent anti-doping programme at the Olympic Games in Tokyo that the ITA had managed, the upcoming winter games in Beijing and increased cooperation regarding major continental events.

Turning the focus to Beijing: The ITA launches the pre-Games anti-doping program for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games

THE INTERNATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (ITA) IS ACTIVATING THE PRE-GAMES PHASE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM THAT IT IS LEADING FOR THE UPCOMING OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES. THE ITA BEIJING 2022 PRE-GAMES EXPERT GROUP HAS ISSUED OVER 5’400 TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT SUPPORT ALL CONCERNED INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS AND NATIONAL/REGIONAL ANTI-DOPING ORGANISATIONS IN IMPLEMENTING AN ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM AHEAD OF THE GAMES THAT IS AS EXTENSIVE AND ROBUST AS POSSIBLE.

The ITA issues decision sanctioning Azerbaijan weightlifter Boyanka Kostova to 8-year period of ineligibility

The International Testing Agency (ITA) reports that it has issued a decision to sanction Azerbaijan weightlifter Boyanka Minkova Kostova with a period of ineligibility of 8 years for an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) for the presence of a prohibited steroid.

ITA webinar – Integrity of Competition – Cheating in sport: preventing competition manipulation and doping

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This month we will address the wider topic of integrity in sport with a focus on competition manipulation.

Betting, match-fixing, sharing inside information and doping in sport are all forms of cheating, running contrary to the idea of a clean and fair field of play. We will examine each of these areas with our expert panel and an athlete guest. We will also look at how personal and sport values affect decision-making and how moments of vulnerability can lead to taking poor decisions. In turn, we will discuss how this can lead to personal, social and economic consequences.

Join us for this interactive session where we challenge you to learn more about yourself and the values that are most important to you and your fellow athletes and colleagues in sport.

We are very pleased to deliver these webinars in English with simultaneous translation to four additional languages – Arabic (العربي), Spanish (español), French (français) and Russian (русский).

Checking your medication – a guide for athletes

MEDICATIONS THAT ATHLETES USE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE PURCHASED OVER THE COUNTER OR RECEIVED WITH A PRESCRIPTION FROM A DOCTOR, MAY CONTAIN SUBSTANCES THAT ARE PROHIBITED IN SPORT. THESE PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES (AND METHODS) ARE LISTED OUT IN A DOCUMENT CALLED THE PROHIBITED LIST. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ATHLETES AND THEIR SUPPORT PERSONNEL UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT SUBSTANCES ARE PERMITTED, IN WHAT DOSAGE AND UNDER WHICH CONDITIONS. REMEMBER, THE PRINCIPLE OF STRICT LIABILITY MEANS THAT ATHLETES ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEY INGEST. TO HELP ATHLETES AND ATHLETE SUPPORT PERSONNEL SAFELY NAVIGATE THIS PART OF THE ANTI-DOPING SYSTEM, WE HAVE PREPARED THIS ARTICLE WITH BRIEF EXPLANATIONS OF KEY TERMS, USEFUL TIPS AND RESOURCES.