Whereabouts

Whereabouts is information an athlete must provide to enable Anti-Doping Organisations to locate them for no-advance notice testing. This tool is a key principle of an effective anti-doping program, as it fosters unpredictability.

The RTP is a select group of elite athletes who are subject to regular testing and must provide whereabouts information so they can be located for no-advance notice testing.
There are strict whereabouts requirements and consequences for non-compliance for athletes included in the RTP.

The TP is a secondary tier of elite athletes who are subject to regular testing and must provide whereabouts information so they can be located for no-advance notice testing.

The whereabouts requirements and consequences of non-compliance for athletes in a TP are less stringent than those for athletes included in the RTP.

Athletes are included in a testing pool by their International Federation (IF) and/or their National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) based on various criteria detailed in WADA’s International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI).

A whereabouts custodian is the Anti-Doping Organisation to which an athlete must provide their whereabouts information.

You will receive a Letter of Inclusion from an Anti-Doping Organisation (this could be a National Anti-Doping Organisation, an International Federation or a third party like the ITA).

This letter provides an overview of your responsibilities, including:

• Key dates
• Your whereabouts submission requirements
• How to submit your whereabouts filings
• What happens if you don’t comply

Yes, minors can be included in a testing pool if they meet the inclusion criteria set by the Anti-Doping Organisation.

Your whereabouts responsibilities begin as of your date of inclusion, which can be found in your Letter of Inclusion.

These are the deadlines by which an athlete must have submitted their whereabouts filings for the following three months.

For athletes whose whereabouts custodian is the ITA (on behalf of their International Federation) the deadlines are:

Submit what you do know, including your overnight accommodation and for RTP athletes, the 60-minute time slot for every day, by the deadline, to the best of your knowledge.
As your plans change, update your submission as soon as possible. This means as soon as you become aware of a change. Do not wait until the last moment to update your information when you are already aware of the changes.

1. An up-to-date mailing address (street name, house number, floor, postal code, city, country) and email address (for formal correspondence);
2. At least one phone number (for Testing and notice purposes);
3. One daily specific 60-minute time slot between 5am and 11pm where the athlete guarantees to be available and accessible for Testing;
4. Overnight accommodation for each day (home, temporary lodging, hotel, etc.);
5. All training and regular activities (gym, physio sessions, school, work, etc.);
6. Travel schedule(s);
7. Competition schedule(s);

Any additional information the athlete deems necessary to be located for Testing. This includes sufficient information to access the location and find you without prior notice.

1. An up-to-date mailing address (street name, house number, floor, postal code, city, country) and email address (for formal correspondence);
2. At least one phone number (for Testing and notice purposes);
3. Overnight accommodation for each day (home, temporary lodging, hotel, etc.);
4. All training and regular activities (gym, physio sessions, school, work, etc.);
5. Competition schedule(s)
6. Travel schedule(s);

Any additional information the athlete deems necessary to be located for Testing. This includes sufficient information to access the location and find you without prior notice.

When submitting your whereabouts information, ask yourself: Would this information allow someone who is not familiar with your selected location to find it, gain access to it, and locate you there without a phone call? The more detailed your information for all locations, the easier it is for a DCO to find you for testing. This includes street name, street number, house number, floor, apartment/room number, gate/door code, GPS coordinates, detailed description/instructions, etc. If in doubt, add more information!

Yes, athletes in a testing pool must ensure their whereabouts information remains accurate and up to date at all times, including during the Major Events, such as the Olympic Games. Their information must remain as specific as any other day; this means that indicating “athlete village” or the name of the event in your whereabouts is insufficient and may lead to consequences for RTP athletes.

Yes, an athlete in a testing pool who is injured must ensure their whereabouts information remains accurate and up to date at all times to ensure they are available for testing.

Information provided by an athlete in their whereabouts submission is kept confidential on a secure website by the whereabouts custodian and is only shared with WADA and other relevant anti-doping organisations for testing purposes on a need-to-know basis.

Yes, you can delegate your whereabouts submission and filing updates to another person. However, you remain personally responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the information, that the deadlines are met, and for any consequences should the information be incorrect or incomplete. This means that the fact that you delegated the task to a third party will not be a defence in the scope of a whereabouts failure, even if it is proven that your delegate actually made a mistake.

If you are in an ITA-managed testing pool and you decide to delegate your submission, please request a Delegation Form from the ITA at the email address in your Letter of Inclusion and return it completed in due time.

The Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) is managed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

ADAMS is a secure web-based system that centralises doping control-related information such as athlete whereabouts, testing history, laboratory results, the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) and information on Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).

The majority of Anti-Doping Organisations require athletes included in a testing pool to submit their whereabouts filings via ADAMS.

ITA ADAMS support resources include:

• ADAMS Video Tutorials

• ADAMS & Whereabouts Quick Reference Card

When an athlete in the RTP is not available and accessible for testing during their 60-minute time slot at the location provided in their whereabouts filings.

When an athlete in the RTP submits late, inaccurate or incomplete whereabouts information.

An Anti-Doping Rule Violation, as per Article 2.4 Whereabouts Failures of the WADA Code, occurs when an ADO and/or the ITA record any combination of 3 Missed Tests and/or Filing Failures which occurred within a 12-month period against an athlete included in the RTP. The sanction for an Article 2.4 ADRV includes a ban from sport of up to 2-years and disqualification of results.

For athletes in the RTP who are subject to a potential 2.4 ADRV, the 12-month period is rolling, meaning it continuously updates to include the most recent 12 months, e.g., 12.04.2024 – 11.04.2025.

• For a Missed Test, it will be recorded on the date an unsuccessful test was attempted.
• For a Filing Failure, it will be recorded on the first day of the quarter if an athlete does not submit complete information by the submission deadline or recorded on the first date that whereabouts filings were inaccurate or incomplete.

Whereabouts Failures are communicated to athletes by email and are recorded in ADAMS. If in doubt, athletes should contact their whereabouts custodian.

Inside the 60-minute timeslot: The athlete must not only be present but also be available and accessible for testing without any advance notice, including phone calls.
Outside the 60-minute timeslot: The athlete is required to submit complete and accurate whereabouts information. This includes all mandatory details that allow a DCO to locate the athlete’s specified location, gain access to it, and find the athlete there.
Failure to meet these obligations will result in a Missed Test or Filing Failure.

Last minute changes: should be a last resort. In this situation, for athletes who submit their whereabouts filings through ADAMS, you can:

• Update your whereabouts filings on the go through the Athlete Central App or the ADAMS webpage directly
• Make sure you have activated the SMS function in your ADAMS profile and send a message

If there are any issues with these options, you must contact your whereabouts custodian as soon as possible indicating the problem and your whereabouts filings update.  This can be done by email or phone.

A Letter of Exclusion will be sent to an athlete from their whereabouts custodian if they are removed from a testing pool. This means the athlete no longer needs to provide whereabouts information but can still be tested.

If an athlete is removed from a testing pool managed by the ITA, they are advised to check with their NADO to see if they are included in a testing pool managed by them. If this is the case, the athlete would need to continue to submit their whereabouts information.

If you are in a testing pool and retire from sport, you must inform your whereabouts custodian. Once your custodian has acknowledged confirmation of your retirement, you will be removed from the testing pool.

If you intend to return to competition following retirement, you must provide your whereabouts custodian with a 6-month written notice so you can be tested before resuming competition.