On joins shoe brands adidas, ASICS and Nike to financially support the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) Registered Test Pool (RTP). The latter three have supported the AIU since 2019. This year marks a significant step forward. On becomes the first sponsor to fund the inclusion of additional athletes in the RTP. This new initiative allows sponsors to ensure their key athletes are subject to the most rigorous testing standards possible. It has been approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a legitimate means of expanding the funding available for testing. On will fund an additional six athletes in the RTP in 2025.
Notable On athletes include two-time Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri of Kenya. There is an American middle-distance runner, Yared Naguse. He won a Paris Olympic bronze medal and Australian World Championship bronze medallist Oliver Hoare, to name a few.
Athletes will be added to the RTP at their sponsor’s request. But must meet minimum performance criteria or be capable of producing high-level international performances in the future. Once athletes are approved, they will be subject to the AIU’s independent anti-doping activities. These activities include testing, education, intelligence, investigation, and prosecution, consistent with existing protocols. This year’s Label Road Races Program, which began in January in Hong Kong, features a RTP of approximately 250 athletes.
“The AIU is delighted to be working with On and views this collaboration as a signal of the company’s commitment to the global anti-doping fight. It is a great sign for the sport that four major shoe brands (adidas, ASICS, Nike and On) are now supporting the Road Running Integrity Programme. To have an additional mechanism to expand the testing pool via third-party funding is obviously great news for the sport and a demonstration that integrity is being taken extremely seriously,” said AIU Head Brett Clothier.
Flavio Calligaris, On’s Senior Director of Athlete Strategy & Partnership, highlighted the importance of On’s landmark action in supporting anti-doping and athletes.
“Our investment in this partnership with the AIU marks another cornerstone in our endeavour to partner with athletes holistically, far beyond standard sponsorship. We aim to actively enable more of our athletes to access the rigorous testing and educational resources provided by AIU’s RTP and through the Road Running Integrity Programme. This proactive step underscores our unwavering commitment to clean sport and ensuring our athletes can compete with the peace of mind they deserve,” said Calligaris.
The dedicated Road Running Integrity Programme commenced in 2020. After some years being impacted by the COVID pandemic, the testing program was comprehensively executed in 2023. This resulted in 5,578 samples from 1,455 athletes. During the 2024 road-running season, 6,098 samples were taken from 1,829 athletes from 89 countries.
In addition to sports brands adidas, ASICS, Nike and On, the Road Running Integrity Programme receives financial contributions from World Athletics. Also, the Abbott World Marathon Majors, World Athletics Platinum, Gold, Elite and Label Road Races, Platinum and Gold Label athletes and their athlete representatives.
About the Athletics Integrity Unit
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is the independent body created by World Athletics that manages all integrity issues, both doping and non-doping, for the sport of athletics. The remit of the AIU includes anti-doping, the pursuit of individuals engaged in age or competition results manipulation, investigating fraudulent behaviour with regards to transfers of allegiance, and detecting other misconduct, including bribery and breaches of betting rules. It is the AIU’s role to drive cheats out of our sport and to do everything within its power to support honest athletes around the world who dedicate their lives to reaching their sporting goals through dedication and hard work.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps in 2010 with the mission to ignite the human spirit through movement – a mission that still guides the brand today. Fifteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, training, all-day activities and tennis. On’s award-winning CloudTec® and LightSpray™ innovation, purposeful design and groundbreaking strides within the circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base – inspiring humans to explore, discover and Dream On.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.
