The ITA officialises cooperation on anti-doping information exchange with Chinese authorities for Beijing 2022

The International Testing Agency (ITA) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) that will promote collaboration and facilitate information sharing in the lead-up to and during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The ITA is independently managing and monitoring anti-doping operations in the run-up to and during the Games, in close cooperation with the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee and with the full support of the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA). To further ensure the implementation of an effective and robust anti-doping program and the sharing of relevant information on potential doping violations, the ITA has now entered into official cooperation with the relevant Chinese governmental agencies together with the Organising Committee and CHINADA.

In order to facilitate the exchange of information related to possible anti-doping violations, the ITA and all entities that have signed the MoC recognise the importance of close cooperation in the area of intelligence and investigations. All parties involved are fully committed to ensuring that the Games are clean and that all available measures can be taken swiftly should the use or trafficking of banned substances or methods be discovered in the context of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Under this new MoC, the ITA will be able to count on the full support of the Chinese General Administration of Sport, the Ministry of Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, CHINADA and the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee in relation to intelligence and anti-doping activities in connection with the Olympic Winter Games Tokyo Beijing 2022.

“This agreement underlines the commitment of the partners involved to fair Olympic Winter Games where doping has no place,” said Dr Valérie Fourneyron, Chair of the ITA Foundation Board. “I am very pleased that the highest competent Chinese authorities have reached this agreement with ITA. It will ensure adequate communication channels and efficient exchange of information should there be any suspicion of doping activity early next year during Beijing 2022.”

“Great thankfulness is extended to the International Testing Agency and relevant departments for their strong support to the anti-doping work of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games”, said Zhang Jiandong, Executive Vice President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee. “The signing of the MoC fully demonstrates the ‘zero tolerance’ attitude of the Chinese government and the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee towards doping. We hope that all participants will take this MoC as a basis to strengthen cooperation and construct an effective mechanism of information exchange and communication so that we can jointly hold an Olympic Winter Games as pure and clean as ice and snow.”

All signatories of the MoC are resolutely committed to adopting a zero-tolerance approach against doping and will do everything in their respective powers to protect the health of all Olympians and the integrity and fairness of the Games.

The ITA urges anyone who has suspicions of any kind related to doping, who has seen, heard or experienced anything that might be in violation of the World Anti-Doping Code, to share it confidentially on its reporting platform REVEAL.