Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel

What do athletes and athlete support personnel need to know about anti-doping?

Athletes, their support personnel and others who are subject to anti-doping rules all have rights and responsibilities under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). Part Three of the Code outlines all of the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the anti-doping system.

Athletes Rights

“Every athlete has the right to clean sport!”

Ensuring that athletes are aware of their rights and that these rights are respected is vital to the success of clean sport. WADA’s Athlete Committee (now Athlete Council) drafted the Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act(Act). This Act is made up of two parts. Part one sets out rights that are found in the Code and International Standards. Part two sets out recommended athlete rights that are not found in the Code or International Standards but are rights that athletes recommend that Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) adopt for best practice. 

Athletes.png Athlete rights outlined in the Code include:

Request and attend the B sample analysis (in the case of an Adverse Analytical Finding)

Athletes´ Responsibilities

Athletes’ rights to clean sport come with corresponding responsibilities, and athletes may be tested in- and out-of-competition, anytime, anywhere and with no advance notice.

Their clean sport responsibilities include (but are not limited to): 

Not working with coaches, trainers, physicians or other athlete support personnel who are ineligible on account of an ADRV or who have been criminally convicted or professionally disciplined in relation to doping (see WADA’s Prohibited Association List)

Athlete Support Personnel Rights

Athlete support personnel and other persons also have rights and responsibilities under the Code. These include:

Athlete Support Personnel Responsibilities

Athlete support personnel’s responsibilities under the Code include:

* Unless the athlete support personnel can establish that the possession is consistent with a TUE granted to an athlete or other acceptable justification. Acceptable justification would include, for example, a team doctor carrying prohibited substances for dealing with acute and emergency situations.

WDSF Recommendation to Athlete Support Personnel

Here are some ways athlete support personnel can support their athletes in their education on clean sport:

What are the organizations involved in protecting clean sport?

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

WADA was established in 1999 as an international independent agency to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport. WADA’s governance and funding are based on equal partnership between the Sport Movement and Governments of the world.

WADA’s primary role is to develop, harmonize and coordinate anti-doping rules and policies across all sports and countries. WADA’s key activities include:

For more information about WADA, consult:

International Federation (IF)

WDSF is responsible for implementing an effective and Code-compliant anti-doping program for DanceSport Under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), IFs are required to carry out the following anti-doping activities:

If you have any anti-doping queries, please contact WDSF Anti-Doping Commission ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs)

NADOs are organizations designated by each country as possessing the primary authority and responsibility to:

Check the list of NADOs to find out who to contact in your country.

If a NADO has not been designated in a country, the National Olympic Committee (NOC), if there is no NADO, takes over these responsibilities.

Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (RADOs)

In a number of regions of the world, countries have pooled their resources together to create a RADO responsible for conducting anti-doping activities in the region in support of NADOs. 

RADOs bring together geographically-clustered groups of countries where there are limited or no anti-doping activities, for which they take over responsibility, including:

Check the list of RADOs.]

Published on 25 August 2018 (last update on 27 November 2023)