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15 October 2026
The International Testing Agency (ITA) today announced the ITA Safeguarding Awareness Training for the anti-doping workforce, the first international training program of its kind developed specifically for the anti-doping testing environment.
Safeguarding matters acutely in anti-doping. Sample collection personnel regularly work in private and sensitive settings, from hotels and athlete accommodation to residential homes for out-of-competition testing, often one-to-one with athletes who may be young or vulnerable. This places them in a unique position both to witness safeguarding concerns or to be affected by them. Until now, no harmonised international training has addressed these situations in the specific context of doping control.
Approximately two hours in length and fully online, the course educates sample collection personnel on safeguarding, interpersonal violence, trauma, and their impacts, and equips them to identify safeguarding issues and understand how and where to report them. The scenarios used throughout are specific to the testing environment, exploring situations that doping control officers, blood collection officers, chaperones, and athletes may encounter. Its dual aim is to help protect athletes and the anti-doping workforce alike. The course was developed in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Safeguarding Unit, and content is aligned with current IOC Consensus Statements.
The program will be delivered for the first time at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, taking place from 31 October to 13 November 2026, to the sample collection personnel operating at the Games, including chaperones and DCOs.
Benjamin Cohen, ITA Director General, said: “Anti-doping testing is an essential part of protecting clean sport, but it must always be conducted in an environment where athletes and the personnel responsible for testing feel safe, respected and supported. Our sample collection personnel regularly operate in sensitive settings, and we have a responsibility to equip them with the knowledge and confidence to recognise safeguarding concerns, respond appropriately and know where to turn for support. Through this initiative, we want to contribute to a broader culture of safeguarding awareness across the anti-doping community and ensure that the importance of safeguarding is recognised as an integral part of professional practice in doping control. Ultimately, protecting the integrity of sport must go hand in hand with protecting the people involved.”
Gloria Viseras, Senior Manager for Safeguarding within the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Safe Sport Unit: “Doping control procedures can place athletes in particularly sensitive and vulnerable situations, making safeguarding awareness and appropriate professional conduct essential. This excellent initiative by the ITA represents an important step towards embedding safeguarding across all areas of sport. We are delighted to have supported the development of this course that will help anti-doping personnel recognise safeguarding risks, respond appropriately and contribute to safer and more supportive environments for athletes”.
The ITA will deliver the course to the close to 2,000 International Doping Control Officers (IDCOs) who have completed its IDCO Training & Certification Program, and completion will become a requirement for their recertification, which takes place every two years. New IDCOs will receive the training alongside the IDCO Program, and all DCOs working directly with the ITA will also be required to complete it.
Beyond its own workforce, the ITA will make the course available to all National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisations, as well as other anti-doping organisations, to support wider access to safeguarding training across the anti-doping community. Organisations interested in accessing the course are invited to contact the ITA.
