MOSCOW: FIFA, football’s governing body confirmed that no player prior to and during the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia tested positive for a banned drug or substance. The results came after it conducted the largest ever dope tests courtesy a test distribution plan (TDP) based on an analysis of doping risks for football. The TDP was shared and agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and consisted of a dynamic, intelligence-based testing programme.
FIFA had decided that a pool of 1500 players and more, who were to potentially participate in the World Cup, were to be initially tested. Besides this, every national anti-doping organisation (NADOs) and their respective confederations were approached by them for assistance in the process.
The regular tests were well supported by FIFA’s use of the athlete biological passport programme in WADA’s “ADAMS” system, under which all test results, including those from confederations and NADOs collected at the main international football events as well as national competitions, are gathered in the athlete’s passport in ADAMS, which features a haematological module (through blood) and a steroidal module (through urine).
FIFA’s Athlete Passport Management Unit, composed of independent experts, reviews the data of players to detect potential deviations that may indicate an abuse of performance-enhancing drugs.
Since January 2018, 2037 tests have been conducted by FIFA, NADOs and confederations that produced 3985 samples (1928 urine, 1031 whole blood, 1026 serum respectively). Out of these, 2761 samples were collected directly by FIFA in unannounced controls prior to the competition and 626 during it (including 108 collected on non-matchdays).
On average, every player from the four remaining teams has been tested 4.41 times since January, with some of them tested eight times.
All samples were collected and analysed at WADA-accredited laboratories. The analysis of samples collected during the World Cup was carried out at the laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland. To ensure a tamper-proof operation, FIFA transported all the samples in a secure box of a type that is normally used by banks to transport money and can only be opened with an electronic key. All samples collected will be stored for ten years and be available for potential future retesting.
