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4 September 2026
Joe Skipper (UK) is a professional triathlete who has been included in the IRONMAN Registered Testing Pool (RTP) since 1 January 2016 and was therefore required to provide whereabouts information to enable unannounced out-of-competition testing. Between 1 July 2024 and 15 May 2025, three whereabouts failures were recorded against the athlete. These circumstances amount to an ADRV under article 2.4 of the IRONMAN anti-doping rules.¹
Following the results management process conducted by the ITA on behalf of IRONMAN, the ITA referred the matter for adjudication to the IHP on 13 February 2026. A hearing was held on 18 May 2026, in which the ITA represented IRONMAN. After hearing the parties and considering the written submissions and evidence, on 17 August 2026 the IHP issued its decision concluding that Joe Skipper had committed an ADRV for three whereabouts failures within a twelve-month period in accordance with article 2.4 of the IRONMAN anti-doping rules. As a result, the IHP has imposed a period of ineligibility of eighteen months on the athlete, commencing on 18 May 2026. Additionally, all competitive results obtained by him since 15 May 2025 are disqualified with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
The athlete and the relevant stakeholders, namely IRONMAN, the ITA, the World Anti-Doping Agency and UK Anti-Doping, have a right to appeal the IHP decision before the appeals division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The ITA will not comment further on this case.
¹ Athletes included in a Registered Testing Pool (RTP), such as Joe Skipper, have the obligation to provide daily whereabouts as well as a specific daily 60-minute time slot where they will be available for testing. The purpose is to allow anti-doping organisations to locate athletes for unannounced out-of-competition testing. Any combination of three missed tests (which relate to the athletes’ unavailability with respect to their 60-minute time slot) and/or filing failures (which are caused by the athletes’ failure to provide accurate whereabouts) committed within a twelve-month period amount to an ADRV as per article 2.4 of the IRONMAN anti-doping rules and World Anti-Doping Code. The consequences for such ADRV are a period of Ineligibility between one and two years and the disqualification of results obtained since the date of the ADRV, namely the date of the occurrence of third whereabouts failure (article 10.3.2 of the IRONMAN anti-doping rules).
