ITA and Sport Ireland commit to shared clean sport goals through new collaboration agreement

Aligned with its dedication to advancing the global clean sport movement through partnerships with national and regional anti-doping bodies, the ITA has entered a cooperation with Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland Anti Doping is the national anti-doping organisation of the Irish State and the implementation of the National Sports Policy. The ITA’s new partnership with Sport Ireland is geared towards coordinating testing initiatives, which will enhance the judicious distribution of resources and the implementation of intelligence-driven clean sport approaches at both national and global stages.

Moreover, the partnership fosters the sharing of information between the ITA and Sport Ireland, which will benefit both potential investigations and intelligence-led doping controls in Ireland, as well as for Irish athletes.

“We are delighted to enter into this co-operation agreement with Sport Ireland, which will further enhance our ability to harmonise testing and share relevant information within the European continent,” said ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “This new partnership underlines the commitment of our two organisations to improve anti-doping efforts at international and national level and to work side by side for clean sport.”

Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said: “This collaboration between Sport Ireland and the International Testing Agency signifies a pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to safeguard the integrity of sport.  By joining forces with the ITA, we are not only enhancing our capabilities in doping control but also reinforcing our commitment to fair play and clean competition.  This will enable us to pool expertise and resources, ultimately ensuring that athletes in Ireland and beyond can compete on a level playing field with confidence and integrity.”

The ITA has forged bilateral cooperation agreements with more than 35 National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs/RADOs) and has allied with over 60 anti-doping bodies in recent years to provide advanced training and certification to their doping control personnel. The ITA is convinced that the anti-doping community can elevate athlete support by joining forces with anti-doping bodies all over the world. As such, the ITA will persist in inviting any NADO or RADO that seeks to amplify the synergy between national and international anti-doping endeavors into its network.