The United States Anti-Doping Agency, the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), and 14 other leading National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs), today announced the continued success of a global collaborative testing initiative in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The participating organizations worked together to develop a comprehensive, fair, and strategic test distribution plan to be executed in the six months before the Rio Olympic Games.
Between January 1, 2016 and August 5, 2016, FINA and the 15 NADOs will conduct, on average, five to seven out-of-competition tests for each nation’s top ten world-ranked male and female swimmers in every aquatic discipline held at the Olympic Games. During the process, FINA and the NADOs have formally connected on a regular basis, sharing relevant intelligence, and engaging in cooperative analysis processes. The NADOs took the lead on testing athletes in their individual countries, while FINA coordinated testing for the top swimmers in nations outside of the partnership.
Both FINA and the partner NADOs, appreciated the concerns expressed by athletes about ensuring the integrity of competition, and the initiative was created to guarantee that serious action was taken to ensure that every athlete in an aquatic event will compete on a level playing field when they reach the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The partner organizations and athletes recognize that the international scale of the Olympic Games demands that international sport federations, and NADOs adopt a collaborative and coordinated approach to testing. With improved communication and streamlined processes, the collaboration will advance clean and fair competition at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“This collaboration is the result of clean athletes coming together and standing up for a level playing field,” said USADA CEO, Travis T. Tygart. “It is a great example of independent NADOs working together with FINA, an International Sport Federation, to both uphold the integrity of competition and protect the rights of athletes.”
The 15 NADOs that supported and participated in the partnership are:
- Agencia Española de Protección de la Salud en el Deporte (AEPSAD)
- Agence française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD)
- Anti Doping Denmark (ADD)
- Anti-Doping Authority Netherlands
- Anti-Doping Singapore
- Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA)
- Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)
- Drug Free Sport NZ (DFSNZ)
- Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA)
- Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA)
- Nationale Anti Doping Agentur (NADA)
- South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS)
- Swedish Sports Confederation
- UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)
- United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)
As an innovative testing initiative in the anti-doping community, this pilot project will serve as a catalyst for future collaborations, more robust testing programs, and greater fairness across international sport.
“FINA strongly believes in this initiative, working together with these leading NADOs from all around the world,” said FINA Executive Director, Cornel Marculescu. “It further demonstrates FINA’s commitment towards a coordinated global effort, in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.”
“FINA is confident that the plan developed to support this initiative and its execution has been effective, helping protect clean athletes training for the pinnacle of achievement in our sport,” added Marculescu. “FINA will increase its cooperation and partnerships with these NADOs in the coming years. FINA will also continue the rigorous efforts to fight doping in aquatic sports through the end of the year and in the months prior to the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest.”
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