WADA releases conclusions from annual audit of its Intelligence and Investigations Department

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the ‘conclusions and potential improvements’ that resulted from the third annual audit of the Agency’s independent Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department which was held from 31 August – 12 October 2020.

In keeping with article 9(a) of WADA’s I&I Policy, on an annual basis, an Independent Supervisor is required to conduct an audit of the I&I Department.

Such audits are intended to ensure that the Department’s work continuously and rigorously satisfies best practices, follows the applicable laws and regulations, and protects the rights and privacy of individuals.

WADA’s Director of Intelligence and Investigations, Gunter Younger, said: “It is important that the Intelligence and Investigations Department, as an independent branch within WADA, undergo an annual audit to assess its operations in their entirety – both to adhere to best practices in terms of transparency, but most importantly, to showcase the professionalism and integrity of our Department to maintain the confidence of our stakeholders, athletes and potential whistleblowers worldwide.

“I am thrilled that the Independent Supervisor has qualified our Department, and the quality of our work, as exceptional. This is entirely thanks to the calibre and commitment of our now 14-member investigations team* that works tirelessly to bring cheats to justice and to defend the integrity of sport on a daily basis.”

The audit was once again conducted by the Department’s Independent Supervisor, Jacques Antenen. Mr. Antenen is currently Commander of the Vaud Cantonal Police in Switzerland. He is also a former Investigating Judge of the Canton of Vaud and Special Federal Prosecutor of the Swiss Confederation.

Once a year, the Independent Supervisor is required to submit a written report to WADA’s Director General and Executive Committee (ExCo) and, once approved by the ExCo, the conclusions of the report are to be made public on WADA’s website.

*An Intelligence Analyst and a Compliance Investigator have been hired and have started working for the new Compliance Investigations Section (CIS) which was announced on 21 September 2020. This brings the total number of I&I staff to 14. WADA is still recruiting a Confidential Information Manager to work with the CIS.