Working Group Cottier Report Implementation - Report / WADA Working Group. - Montreal : World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), 2024
The WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) at a meeting in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, unanimously approved a range of recommendations presented by a Working Group, which was set up by the ExCo in September 2024.
The Working Group was tasked with turning the findings of Independent Prosecutor, Eric Cottier, who carried out a review of WADA’s handling of the no-fault contamination cases involving 23 swimmers from China in 2021 and those of the Anti-Doping Audit Review Committee of World Aquatics on the same topic, into concrete recommendations that could be reviewed and approved by the ExCo.
The Working Group’s recommendations cover the following five areas with established corresponding timelines:
- Results Management Filing System
- WADA Intelligence & Investigations (I&I) Department Triage and Prioritization Framework
- Alarm setup in WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System [ADAMS] and Results Management Process Review
- World Anti-Doping Code Update Process Issues
- Out-of-competition Testing Independent from National Anti-Doping Organizations and Local Laboratories
In his review, Mr. Cottier concluded that WADA showed no bias towards China, that its decision not to appeal the cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was reasonable, and that it followed the rules at all times. Through his final report, which was presented to the ExCo in September, Mr. Cottier also made a number of observations as to how anti-doping rules and WADA’s administrative processes could be further strengthened in light of these cases.
