WADA leads collaborative session to strengthen anti-doping intelligence and investigations
Last week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was pleased to collaborate with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to host an Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (ADIIN) Expert Group session in Monaco.
The seventh annual session, which ran from 25-26 October, welcomed around 25 participants from WADA Intelligence & Investigations (I&I), National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs), International Federations and the International Testing Agency to discuss ongoing investigations and share their respective experiences.
WADA Director, Intelligence and Investigations, Gunter Younger, said: “Last week’s session in Monaco was an excellent opportunity for intelligence and investigations practitioners to get together and share experiences and reflect on how to further strengthen the anti-doping process from an intelligence and investigations perspective. We are very grateful to our colleagues from the Athletics Integrity Unit for hosting the event and for their strong commitment to this important area. Through collaboration like this we are improving the overall system for athletes and clean sport around the world.”
Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit, Brett Clothier, said: “The Athletics Integrity Unit has been a central member of the Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network since our inception, so it was a pleasure to welcome its members to Monaco for the annual in-person meeting. Intelligence and Investigations are at the heart of good anti-doping work and ADIIN is therefore an expert group with an important role. These two days have furthered the consideration of I&I’s role in the future of anti-doping.”
In particular during this interactive session, the members examined two key provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), namely Article 10.7.1 (Substantial Assistance) and Article 10.8.1 (Early Admission and Acceptance of Sanction) and discussed how they could better reflect the operational needs and constraints of I&I practitioners. To complement these discussions on I&I challenges and opportunities, the group also heard from General Counsel, United States Anti-Doping Agency, Jeff Cook, who offered insight into how the Code and the International Standard for Results Management intersected with criminal prosecutions.
The outcomes of the meeting will be reviewed by the ADIIN steering committee and shared with the relevant drafting teams for the 2027 Code and International Standards Update Process, which got underway last month.
About the Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network
In 2017, in order to further harmonize and strengthen the investigation of doping in sport worldwide, WADA I&I started building ADIIN to serve as a global resource to assist Anti-Doping Organizations in conducting investigations, and to identify and promote best-practice investigative standards.
