Coronavirus: WADA issues dope testing guidelines

The World Anti-Doping Agency issued new guidelines on Friday to facilitate continued testing amid the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic. Noting that the spread of COVID-19 had evolved into “an even greater health and societal emergency” since its March 6 communique, WADA urged Anti-Doping Organizations to act in accordance with restrictions placed by local health authorities “to ensure proper protection of athletes and doping control personnel, while protecting the integrity of doping control programs, particularly in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.” WADA's latest guidelines advise anti-doping organisations to make sure that sample collectors are free from any symptoms of illness. Protective wear such as masks should be used and work surfaces disinfected, and if local conditions limit what testing can occur then ADOs should “consider focusing their testing program on targeted athletes from high risk sports and disciplines,” WADA said. In locations where testing programs can't continue, WADA said, it and other anti-doping organisations and sports federations will work together “once the situation begins to return to normal” to identify gaps in testing “particularly as it relates to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.” WADA said anti-doping organisations should continue to obtain information on whereabouts of athletes normally gathered to facilitate out-of-competition testing. With some WADA accredited laboratories already closed and others likely to follow suit, WADA said testing organisations should contact the Montreal-based organization for information on what labs might be able to receive samples.