Efficiency and cooperation for clean sport: the ITA concludes agreement with Sport Integrity Australia

In line with its commitment to further enhance clean sport efforts worldwide through close cooperation with national and regional anti-doping organisations, the ITA has signed a collaboration agreement with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA). SIA was established in 2020 by the Australian Government to draw the country’s existing sport capabilities, knowledge and expertise, and to coordinate and develop new threat responses, including prevention, detection, investigation and enforcement programs for the benefit of safe sport for all. Next to protecting Australian sport from the use of prohibited substances, the SIA is also active in the areas of athlete safeguarding and competition manipulation. The new partnership between the ITA and SIA focuses on harmonising testing efforts to ensure an effective allocation of resources and intelligence-led programs at both national and international levels.

The collaboration also supports the exchange of information between the ITA and SIA which will benefit both potential investigations and intelligence-led doping controls in Australia and for the country’s athletes.

“Sport Integrity Australia is a well-developed and strong integrity agency – in Australia, but also within the larger anti-doping community,” says ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “SIA is a progressive and innovative integrity player that inspires us when it comes to learning, sharing knowledge and best practice, and further developing our mutual activities for the benefit of athletes and sport in general. We are very pleased about this cooperation agreement which will help us to ensure better organisation of testing and coordination of any intelligence or investigative activities on Australian soil to help protect Australian and international-level athletes.”

Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe said the agreement strengthens anti-doping capabilities in Australia and around the world.

“This partnership with the International Testing Agency significantly enhances Sport Integrity Australia’s anti-doping operations and builds on the agency’s existing capabilities,” Mr Sharpe said.

“Sport Integrity Australia is always looking to work with and learn from other anti-doping agencies and to protect innocent athletes. By partnering with other leading global anti-doping agencies like the ITA we are strengthening the testing program for clean athletes in Australia and abroad.”

The ITA has already established bilateral collaboration agreements with over 30 National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs/RADOs) and has partnered with over 57 anti-doping organisations over the past years to deliver advanced training and certification to their workforce. The ITA strongly believes that the anti-doping community is able to bring the support of athletes to the next level by working hand-in-hand with all other anti-doping organisations. Consequently, the ITA will continue to welcome to its network any National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisation that wishes to strengthen synergies between national and international level anti-doping programs.