Out-of-Competition Testing

The main rule in the fight against doping in sport is that athletes can be tested at any time at any place, not only during competitions, but also during training, work, vacation, whatever. WDSF recognizes and accepts that out-of-competition testing is at the core of effective doping control, national as well as international.

Out-of-competition doping controls are one of the most powerful means of deterrence and detecting the use of forbidden substances, doping. They strengthen athlete and public confidence in doping free sport.

Efficient doping control systems and policies are designed to protect the integrity of the sport and to protect the clean athletes.

Experience of the last decade has shown that out-of-competition testing is crucial to the fight against doping in sport, in particular because a number of prohibited substances and methods are only detectable for a limited period of time in an athlete’s body (sometimes only hours) while maintaining a performance enhancing effect for a much longer period, sometimes months. The only way to perform efficient testing is to know where athletes are and to test possible cheaters at a time they most likely use the prohibited substances.

Out-of-competition testing is limited to the top ranked athletes only. The WDSF Anti-Doping Commission, in close cooperation with WADA, established the guide lines for selection of athletes to be included in the IDSF International Registered Testing Pool and selects the athletes to be included. Selected athletes are informed by the IDSF Anti-Doping Commission of their inclusion and as a consequence of their obligations. The WDSF International Registered Testing Pool is annually published at this website.

As a Registered Testing Pool is selected for national and international level athletes, two different pools are selected; for international level athletes by the International Sports Federations (WDSF for DanceSport as above) and for national level athletes by the NADO’s (National Anti-Doping Organizations). Nowadays almost each country has established its own National Anti-Doping Organization as most countries of the world have also accepted the World Anti-Doping Code through the UNESCO Convention 2005 and resulting obligations.

It’s possible that an athlete is selected for both, the national as well as the international testing pool. Out-of-competition can be and will be done by three anti-doping authorities, namely WADA, NADO’s and WDSF. WADA has the authority to test all athletes in all sports; WDSF has the authority to test all athletes in DanceSport and a NADO has the authority to test all athletes in all sports of its country.

Although it is stated that out-of-competition testing is at first focused on top ranked athletes, it should be noted that WDSF, at its discretion, conduct out-of-competition testing on any athlete at any time (target testing).

Without complete and accurate information about the whereabouts of the athletes out-of-competition testing, always conducted without notice to the athletes, can be difficult or even impossible. The success of the out-of-competition testing depends directly on the quality of the information that the authorized bodies receive. Therefore the WDSF Anti-Doping Commission has developed whereabouts rules and established corresponding procedures, based on the WADA International Guides and Rules.

Documents

Out-of-Competition Testing Pool 2013
Out-of-Competition Testing Procedures
Whereabouts Information