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28 January 2026
The anti-doping program for Milano Cortina 2026 is already underway through a dedicated pre-Games phase, during which athletes may be tested by their International Federation, their National Anti-Doping Organisation, or by the ITA for those federations that have delegated their programs to the Agency for independent management. This pre-Games program is supported by the ITA through the identification of testing gaps on athletes likely to compete at the Games, and the sharing of testing recommendations with these entities ahead of the Games to ensure controls are implemented harmoniously across the globe. Preliminary results of the pre-Games program will be communicated prior to the start of the Games, with a final report on the outcomes of the pre-Games program to be published following the conclusion of the Games.
During the Games period, the anti-doping program will be deployed in close cooperation with the Local Organising Committee and NADO Italia by a large-scale international workforce to ensure effective and risk-proportionate testing across all sports and venues. Around 150 international Doping Control Officers, all certified under the ITA International Doping Control Officer (IDCO) Program, will be working alongside approximately 400 chaperones. On-site operations will be led by a team of around 20 ITA staff members, supported by additional operational and expert resources from the ITA’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Doping control activities will be conducted through 23 doping control stations spread across competition venues and athlete villages.
In total, approximately 2,200 doping controls are planned, resulting in the collection of around 3,000 urine, blood and dried blood spot (DBS) samples. These controls will include both in-competition and out-of-competition testing conducted during the Games period. Samples will be analysed by the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory in Rome and tested for substances included on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Results management processes will be conducted independently by the ITA. All samples collected in the context of the Games under the testing authority of the IOC will be stored in ITA’s centralised long-term storage facility and may be subject to re-analysis for up to ten years following their collection.
The geographical decentralisation of the Games across several clusters is a defining feature of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. This operational reality is addressed through a robust deployment model, centralised coordination and close collaboration between on-site teams and the ITA headquarters, ensuring consistent standards and coverage across all locations.
Intelligence and investigation activities will be conducted in close cooperation with relevant Italian authorities, including law enforcement and customs agencies, to support intelligence-led testing and safeguard the integrity of the competition.
The anti-doping program will be implemented in full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standards, and will be observed by the World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Observer team. The ITA will work in close collaboration with the Independent Observers throughout the Games to ensure transparency and to allow for any issues identified to be addressed promptly and effectively.
The ITA also continues to implement doping controls on Russian and Belarusian athletes potentially participating in the Games as individual neutral athletes (AIN) for the sports it is responsible for, using independent doping control officers.
“We look forward to contributing to safeguarding the integrity of the Olympic Games. Despite the many logistical challenges that naturally occur for such major events, our team is ready and fully committed to protecting athletes and offering them a fair level playing field,” said ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “Following the successful implementation of the Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024 anti-doping operations, the ITA is prepared to deliver a comprehensive and intelligence-led program focusing on rigorous implementation, close cooperation with our partners and full transparency throughout the pre-Games and Games-time phases.”
