WADA launches stakeholder consultation process for three International Standards

Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) launches a stakeholder consultation process regarding proposed amendments to the latest versions of the following three International Standards that came into force on 1 January 2021. We are soliciting your feedback by 11 July 2022.

1. The International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemption (ISTUE) will be submitted to the Executive Committee (ExCo) for approval in September 2022 and is proposed to come into effect on 1 January 2023. The proposed amendments to the ISTUE were identified by stakeholders and WADA’s TUE Expert Advisory Group as key areas requiring modification or clarification since implementation of the latest version of the Standard in 2021. Furthermore, it was necessary to make the Standard compatible with the new TUE module of WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS). A summary of changes is provided within the WADA Connect platform.

2. The International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI) will be submitted to the ExCo for approval in September 2022 and is proposed to come into effect on 1 January 2023.  The proposed amendments to the ISTI include:

• A new Annex outlining the requirements for collection, storage and transport of dried blood spot samples. Collection of these was first introduced in September 2021 and the requirements related to sample collection were previously included in a Technical Document. 
• A new Annex on urine sample collection procedures in a virtual environment, following lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to address situations where in-person notification can take place but in-person sample collection cannot. A set of guidelines, which supports the sample collection process using a hybrid (partially virtual) system during a pandemic, is also included to assist Anti-Doping Organizations in understanding the proposed procedures in the new Annex.
• Several smaller amendments based on learnings from the operational implementation of the 2021 ISTI over the past 17 months. 

3. The International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS) will be submitted to the ExCo for approval in November 2022 and is proposed to come into effect early 2023. The proposed amendments are based upon four years of practical experience in implementing the ISCCS and the lessons learned from the Court of Arbitration for Sport case involving the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. 

To Submit Feedback 

We would ask you to submit feedback by 11 July 2022 via WADAConnect, the Agency’s online consultation platform. Easy to use, WADAConnect will prompt you to create a user account and input your comments. For more information related to WADAConnect, please refer to the simple user guide.

Stakeholders are asked, to the extent possible, to draw on practical experiences and propose recommendations that would benefit the global collaborative mission for doping-free sport. In addition, stakeholders are asked to be as specific and clear as possible with their feedback, i.e. by proposing text to replace the proposed amendments. Please note WADA is only seeking feedback to the proposed amendments presented in each Standard 

We look forward to receiving your feedback, which is instrumental to ensuring that the Standards be strengthened over time.