Hangzhou, China, March 17, 2023: The OCA’s Asian Games anti-doping programme will break new ground at Hangzhou this year by using the International Testing Agency (ITA) for the first time.
The ITA is an international organisation constituted as a non-profit foundation, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and with the motto “Keeping Sport Real”.
Its mission is to manage anti-doping programmes, independent from sporting or political powers, for International Federations, Major Event Organisers and all other anti-doping organisations requesting support.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will run from September 23 to October 8, the ITA will work as part of the OCA’s extensive anti-doping programme alongside the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) and Beijing Anti-Doping Laboratory. CHINADA will be the sample collection agency and the Beijing Anti-Doping Laboratory will be the sample analysis agency.
In addition to this, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will run its popular education booth in the Athletes’ Village in coordination with the OCA’s Medical and Anti-Doping Committee.
“This is the first time that the ITA will be joining the Asian Games, so there will be a lot of questions from the team coming from Switzerland,” the OCA Director General, Husain Al Musallam, said at the Coordination Committee meeting on Thursday, March 16.
In other news, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will once again run an ad-hoc committee to deal with all issues arising during the Asian Games, including appeals, eligibility and anti-doping matters.