The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) convened 28 specialists in Vienna, Austria, for the 10th Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network expert group meeting. The session focused on developing practical guidelines for implementing the new International Standard for Intelligence and Investigations, which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Participants included representatives from national anti-doping organizations, international federations and the International Testing Agency (ITA). Experts from WADA-accredited laboratories in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Seibersdorf, Austria, also attended, alongside officials from the Austrian Federal Criminal Police’s Integrity in Sport Unit and the International Narcotics Control Board.
“This 10th annual meeting marks an important milestone for our expert network,” said Mathieu Holz, head of WADA’s Investigations Unit.
The forthcoming guidelines will address two priorities identified in WADA’s strategic roadmap: substantial assistance and communication with accredited laboratories. The aim is to establish consistent guidance for investigative bodies, recognizing the importance of information gathering, evidence handling and cooperation between agencies.
Michael Cepic, chief executive officer of NADA Austria, stressed the importance of collaboration.
“Intelligence and investigations are essential to protecting the integrity of sport, and effective cooperation is at the heart of this work,” he said.
NADA Austria works with the country’s Federal Criminal Police, Customs Agency and public prosecutors. Its work is supported by a legal framework designed to facilitate secure information sharing among authorities.
The importance of evidence beyond laboratory analysis was underscored by Austrian official [first name] Sammer, who noted that “in recent years, every second anti-doping proceeding in Austria was based on non-analytical evidence.”
In other words, approximately half of the proceedings relied on evidence other than the direct analysis of an athlete’s sample. Such evidence can be central to investigations where testing alone cannot establish a violation.
Austria may not be among the countries most frequently associated with high-profile doping controversies, but it regularly hosts international competitors and operates within the same global sporting system. Doping is not confined by national borders, and cases involving countries such as Kenya, Russia and India illustrate the geographic breadth and complexity of the challenge.
The new guidelines are intended to strengthen the investigative framework available to anti-doping organizations as they prepare for the 2027 standard.
