FINA partners with national anti-doping organisations ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics

The Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), world swimming governing body FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) and 14 other leading national anti-doping organisations (NADO), have announced the continued success of a global collaborative testing initiative in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Each participating organisation has worked together to develop a comprehensive, fair, and strategic testing distribution plan to be executed in the six months before the Rio Olympic Games.

Between 1st January 2016 and 5th August 2016, FINA and the 15 NADOs have been conducting an average of five to seven out-of-competition tests for each nation’s top 10 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 organisations and athletes recognise 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.

ASADA Chief Executive Ben McDevitt said the collaborative initiative ahead of the Olympic Games acknowledges that global partnerships are instrumental to keeping sport clean in a world where the increasing sophistication of doping is a challenge for us all.

McDevitt stated “Australia is a nation that is serious about protecting clean sport and the right of clean athletes to compete on a level playing field.

“Working alongside our international colleagues on a taskforce striving to achieve that level playing field was an opportunity ASADA found extremely rewarding and beneficial in strengthening global ties.”

In addition to ASADA, the other 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
• 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 issued a statement backing the initiative, advising "working together with these leading NADOs from all around the world further demonstrates FINA’s commitment towards a coordinated global effort, in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.”

Image: The Rio Olympic Aquatics Stadium at Barra da Tijuca. Courtesy of Myrtha Technology.

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