WADA publishes outcomes of Phase I of ADO Benchmarking Project

Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to publish the data from Phase I of the Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) Benchmarking Project, which aims to help National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) measure their activity in context. We hope to publish data from Phase II of the Project, which covers International Federations, in Q1 of 2025. 

Background 

The Benchmarking Project was created to establish typical ranges of activity for similar ADOs so they can understand their own levels of activity across various program indicators (i.e., number of tests, Registered Testing Pool (RTP) size, budget, etc.) within the context of those ranges. This will enable ADOs and WADA to identify possible gaps in program delivery and to work collaboratively to address underlying issues.  

Grouping 

The World Anti-Doping Code Signatory Tiers (as defined in the Prioritization Policy¹) have been split into smaller groups based on three complementary factors: 

1. Number of athletes at Olympic/Paralympic and Continental Games 
2. Medals and top-eight finishers at major events 
3. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of the country 

While these factors are external to the NADO, they largely determine the context within which it operates. Tier 1 is split into three groups, while Tiers 2, 3, and 4 are split into two groups each. It is important to note that there is no hierarchy between the groups. 

Data Visualizations 

The initial indicators are as follows: 

• 2023 tests (total) 
• 2023 tests on international and national-level athletes 
• RTP size at the end of 2023 
• Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) processed in 2023 
• Budget (USD) 
• Full-time staff 

Kindly note that the purpose of the data visualizations is to inform not evaluate: a NADO can fall outside typical ranges for any given indicator without this representing an issue with program delivery. The hope is that this information will be useful to ADOs, allowing them to benchmark themselves against their peers, reflect, and improve their programs as they see fit. 

Accessing the data 

The data section of the ADO Benchmarking webpage is organized by Tier—each Tier has a “NADOs” tab that lists the NADO country members for each group. Once a NADO identifies their group, they can open the corresponding tab to see the data. 

Should NADOs have any feedback or questions regarding the data presented or the ADO Benchmarking Project more broadly, we invite you to contact NADO/RADO Relations at NADO-RADORelations@wada-ama.org or the Regional Office that corresponds to your region.   

(1) WADA’s Policy for the Application of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), also known as the Prioritization Policy, divides Signatories into different Tiers, which consider sporting performance and doping risk (based on sport and discipline).