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WADA publishes the Professional Standard for Testing Practitioners

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Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) publishes the Professional Standard for Testing Practitioners that aim to set competency levels and enhance the knowledge and skills of the global anti-doping Testing workforce. The Standards were endorsed by the Agency’s Education Committee and welcomed by its Executive Committee at the November 2023 meeting.  

Publication of the Testing Professional Standard, along with their associated Role Descriptor and Testing Skills Survey Report, marks the next step of WADA’s Global Learning and Development Framework (GLDF) initiative. These new documents add to the growing catalogue of existing Professional Standards and Role Descriptors for the following anti-doping contexts: 

The Professional Standard and Role Descriptor for Testing Practitioners, as well as content for a Testing training program, were developed by a Technical Working Group comprised of professionals representing a global cross-section of organizations and regions. All the Professional Standards—available in English, French and Spanish—have been created in collaboration with stakeholders and describe:  

  • The main functions for a given anti-doping role;  
  • The expected standard of competence using performance criteria; and 
  • The knowledge and skills required to perform the role. 

WADA encourages Anti-Doping Organizations and other stakeholders to use the Standards to develop their practitioners and the contingent workforce who support delivery of their anti-doping programs. The Standards can also be used to evaluate professional competencies and support development through the identification of opportunities for improvement. 

This is the first set of resources created as part of the GLDF4CleanSport project, an Erasmus+ funded project that is the next phase of WADA’s GLDF initiative. 

More about the GLDF and GLDF4CleanSport 

Launched in April 2020, the GLDF supports the ‘Grow Impact’ priority of WADA’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, which commits WADA ‘to develop training programs and qualifications standards for anti-doping professionals to improve professionalism and enhance the capabilities of the anti-doping workforce.’ The initiative has since moved into its next phase, GLDF4CleanSport, a collaborative project that enables WADA and its partners to continue supporting this work.