The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) received its accreditation to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/ Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 18873:1999, an international system of quality assessment and control for doping control, USADA Chief Executive Officer Terry Madden announced Thursday.
“We are honored to become the one of the initial national anti-doping agencies globally to receive the ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/PAS 18873:1999 accreditation,” said Madden. “ We have worked hard to gain the respect of the national and international anti-doping communities, and we will continue to strive toward our mission of deterring doping in sport.”
USADA, which began operations on Oct. 2, 2000, is the independent anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States, and is responsible for managing the testing and adjudication process for U.S. Olympic, Pan Am, and Paralympic athletes. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
The ISO 9000 family of standards was developed to help organizations, of all types and sizes, to implement and operate effective quality management systems. The purpose of the International Standards for Doping Control (ISDC) is to develop and maintain the best practices for the conduct of doping control programs worldwide.
The decision by ISO to adopt the ISO/PAS 18873 (the international protocol for doping control) means that ISDC is recognized as an operational quality protocol. ISO/PAS 18873 provides a vigorous doping control standard which countries, anti-doping organizations and international and national sports federations should draw on and endeavor to implement within their own anti-doping programs.
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