What is the role of WADA & NADA?

• The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published its 2024 Testing Figures Report on December 17.

• It summarises the results of all the samples WADA-accredited laboratories analysed and reported in WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) in 2024.

• India has the highest number of violators among nations which conducted 5,000 or more tests.

• As per the WADA report, India conducted 7,113 tests (6,576 urine samples and 537 blood samples) in 2024, which threw up 260 adverse analytical findings, accounting for a positivity rate of 3.6 per cent, the highest among all major countries.

• In the 2023 testing figures, India’s positivity rate stood at 3.8 per cent after 213 adverse results from 5,606 tests. 

• China, which conducted a whopping 24,214 tests in 2024, showed a positivity rate of just 0.2 per cent. 

• Russia conducted 10,514 tests and returned a positivity rate of 0.7 per cent with just 76 adverse results.

• Countries like Pakistan and Mongolia have higher positivity rates than India but they tested very less number of samples.

What is WADA?

• The World Anti-Doping Agency was established in 1999 as an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. 

• Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code — the document harmonising anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries.

• The organisation’s headquarters is in Montreal, Canada.

• WADA is composed of a foundation board, an executive committee and several committees.

• The 42-member foundation board is WADA’s supreme decision-making body. It is composed equally of representatives from the Olympic Movement and governments.

• The foundation board delegates the actual management and running of the agency, including the performance of activities and the administration of assets, to the executive committee, WADA’s ultimate policy-making body.

• The 12-member executive committee is also composed equally of representatives from the Olympic Movement and governments.

• WADA’s presidency — a volunteer position — alternates between the Olympic Movement and governments.

• WADA’s committees act as advisory committees and provide guidance for the agency’s programmes.

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) was set up in India as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act of 1890 on November 24, 2005 with a mandate for dope-free sports in India. 

• The objectives are to implement anti-doping rules as per WADA code, regulate dope control programme, to promote education and research and creating awareness about doping and its ill-effects.

• NADA collaborates with WADA and other national anti-doping organisations to strengthen clean sporting practices, contribute to evolving the guidelines and ensure athletes can compete on a level playing field across the world.

• It works in close collaboration with the sport ecosystem to create a dope-free sporting environment in the country.

The primary functions of NADA are:

i) Implement the Anti-Doping Code to achieve compliance by all sports organisations in the country.

ii) Coordinate dope testing programme through all participating stakeholders.

iii) Promote anti-doping research and education to inculcate the value of dope-free sports.

iv) Adopt best practice standards and quality systems to enable effective implementation and continual improvement of the programme.