The ITA leading independent expert anti-doping program at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore

As part of its anti-doping mandate delegated by World Aquatics since 2019, the ITA is responsible for the year-round delivery of the international aquatics anti-doping program. Within this framework, the ITA is independently managing the clean sport strategy for the World Aquatics Championships 2025 that are taking place 11 Jul – 03 Aug 2025 in Singapore. The program features a risk-based, intelligence-informed testing plan grounded in a comprehensive scientific and strategic approach.

Key features of the ITA anti-doping strategy for the World Aquatics Championships 2025 include:

• Deployment of 36 Doping Control Personnel, over half of which are certified through the ITA IDCO Training, supported by 91 trained volunteer chaperones, all of whom have completed the ITA International Chaperone e-training course
• Testing: approximately 525 in-competition and 60 out-of-competition tests (resulting in over 800 collected samples)
• Overall over 3’300 samples collected under the World Aquatics’ anti-doping program from January to June 2025
• Long-term storage of around 500 samples, selected following a dedicated long-term storage strategy
• Strong collaboration with Anti-Doping Singapore and operational oversight from the ITA throughout the Championships
• Use of the endocrine and steroidal modules of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) to enhance detection of substances such as human Growth Hormone (hGH)
• Continued focus on strategic testing supported by the ITA’s Intelligence & Investigations (I&I) department and scientific experts

Testing during the Championships will be targeted and may occur at any time during the competition window. Sample analysis will be conducted by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Ghent, Belgium.

In collaboration with the University of Kent, the ITA has introduced live performance monitoring for the first time during a World Aquatics Championships. A direct data feed from the official results system has been integrated into a dedicated app, allowing real-time generation of risk scores for pool-based swimmers. These scores are being used by the ITA to inform and refine its selection of athletes for testing throughout the competition.

“The World Aquatics Championships bring together the very best in aquatic sport, and with that comes a collective responsibility to protect fair play,” says ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “Our program in Singapore reflects the ITA’s ongoing commitment to intelligent, evidence-based anti-doping strategies. From enhanced sample analysis to real-time performance monitoring and long-term sample storage, we are applying every available tool to help ensure that athletes can compete on equal terms. We are proud to lead this work on behalf of World Aquatics, in close cooperation with Anti-Doping Singapore and other trusted partners.”

The ITA remains fully committed to delivering a high-quality, independent anti-doping program that supports World Aquatics in safeguarding the integrity of its Championships and promoting clean sport worldwide.

You can find World Aquatics testing statistics here: https://aquaticsintegrity.com/statistics/