Intelligence-based doping control planning improves testing effectiveness: Perspectives from a national anti-doping organisation

Anti-doping organisations are mandated to provide a comprehensive anti-doping programme, which aims to detect, deter and prevent doping in sport. Direct detection of prohibited substances and methods by collection of biological samples from athletes makes up about half of the global anti-doping budgets but has in the last decade been under critical scrutiny for its lack of efficiency. To ensure optimum detection and deterrence of testing and prevention efforts, a better understanding of doping practices and comparison of different doping test strategies are needed. This study evaluates 17 years of doping test statistics and Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) from the perspectives of a national anti-doping organisation. A total of 48 709 samples (2865 +/- 220 annually) were collected by Anti-Doping Norway in the period 2003-2019, which resulted in total 216 ADRVs (12.7 +/- 3.7 annually), providing an average sample-to-ADRV rate of 0.44% when including urine, blood and ABP samples. Most athletes who committed ADRVs were men participating in ball and team or strength sports at a national or recreational level. Few ADRVs were recorded among elite athletes and in most high-risk sports, despite these groups being subjected to the highest number of doping tests. The number of annual ADRVs did not correlate with the corresponding number of collected doping samples. However, systematic use of intelligence in the test planning process was associated with an increase in ADRVs. Anti-doping organisations would benefit from improving their target testing capability and to take an intelligence-led approach in planning doping tests.

Automated summary

Anti-doping organisations aim to detect, deter and prevent doping in sport. However, direct detection of prohibited substances from athletes' biological samples has been criticized for its lack of efficiency. This study evaluates 17 years of doping test statistics and violations, revealing that most violations were committed by male athletes in ball and team or strength sports at national or recreational levels. Target testing capability and an intelligence-led approach in planning doping tests are recommended to improve anti-doping efforts.