The types of information collected in ADAMS, as well as how they are used and shared, is based on the anti-doping rules established in the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standards. These rules include sharing rules that are automated within ADAMS. For example, lab results uploaded by a laboratory to ADAMS are automatically shared with the ADO that authorized the test (the testing authority) and the ADO identified as responsible for conducting any required results management related to that test (results management authority).
Click on each icon below to learn more.
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Athlete Profile
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Test Planning
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Lab Results
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Whereabouts
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Therapeutic |
Athlete |
Results |
Intelligence |
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ADAMS mainly contains information about athletes, and we refer to athletes as "you" in this section. If you are not an athlete, click here to learn more about information that ADAMS may contain about you. For information on delegated third parties and how they use ADAMS, click here.
Athlete Profile
Basic demographic information is collected to appropriately identify athletes in ADAMS, and to contact them where necessary (for example, you may need to be notified of an averse analytical finding or whereabouts failure, or contacted by a doping control officer seeking to locate you for a sample collection session). Athlete profiles are created by an Anti-Doping Organization or ADO (typically, your National Anti-Doping Organization or International Federation).
Your ADAMS profile contains the following types of information, as entered by the Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) that creates your profile:
- Name, date of birth, gender, sport/discipline, nationalities and, if applicable, any additional sport nationalities;
- ADAMS ID and, if applicable, Biological Passport ID
- An email address;
- Competition levels and testing pools; list of affiliated organizations, affiliated agents and doctors (as applicable); and
- Optionally, if you provide this information during a doping control session or to your ADO, relevant accreditation numbers, preferred name(s), disability and disability class, photo, and additional contact details (mailing address and phone number).
Your profile information is accessible to the organization that created your account (also called your Whereabouts Custodian or WC), WADA, your National Anti-Doping Organization, and your International Federation. Your WC may also share your profile with other sports organizations (like major event organizers or your national federation) on a need-to-know basis and where necessary for anti-doping purposes. If you have been given an ADAMS account by your WC, you can view your profile at any time directly within ADAMS, and you can verify which ADOs and third parties have access to your information by going to the "Security" or "Organizations with access" tab of your profile. You may also ask your WC to share your profile with your agent(s) and doctor(s).
Test Planning
The test planning module in ADAMS enables Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) with testing authority over an athlete to plan, coordinate, order, monitor, and avoid duplication of doping controls for athletes under their authority. ADOs with testing authority can include National Anti-Doping Organizations, International Federations, and Major Event Organizers. It is possible for multiple ADOs to have the authority to test you.
The International Standard for Standards and Investigations (ISTI) requires certain information to be recorded for each sample collection session (this is typically achieved through a combination of a Doping Control Form (DCF), notification form, and supplementary reports for the Athlete Biological Passport). Following a sample collection session, this information is input into ADAMS and linked to an athlete profile. It includes:
- The type of test (in-competition or out-of-competition);
- Date, time and type of notification and of sealing of each sample;
- Sample code number, type of sample, and required laboratory information on the sample (for example, for a urine sample, its volume and specific gravity);
- If provided by the athlete on a DCF, medications, and/or supplements taken within the previous seven days, blood transfusions within the previous three months, comments on the procedure, and consent for research;
- If applicable, responses relevant to the analysis of blood samples for the athlete’s biological passport, such as altitude levels or exposure to extreme environmental conditions and additional comments from the doping control officer.
ADOs with testing authority (TA) over an athlete have access to their scheduled tests, and may share these plans with other ADOs as needed to coordinate testing. The TA, results management authority (RMA), and WADA all have access to completed doping control forms and associated test results. Athletes may be given access to a historic list of completed tests in ADAMS if authorized by their RMA. Any other organization with access to an athlete’s profile in ADAMS will also have access to a list of completed tests (but not doping control forms or test results).
Lab Results
The laboratory results module in ADAMS was specifically designed to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of laboratory results. Laboratories can only see and submit laboratory results associated with sample codes, not an athlete’s name, and these results cannot be modified by any organization other than the laboratory that submitted the results.
Laboratories upload analytical results to ADAMS by way of a test report. These reports may include the following types of information depending on the relevant tests and sample types, as required under the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL):
- Sample code; type of sample, and required laboratory information on the sample (for example, for a urine sample, its volume and specific gravity);
- Gender, age, sport and discipline;
- Date and country of sample collection;
- Analytical results, including measured steroid profile or blood variables (as applicable), and other information provided by the laboratory to assess the results (such as testing methods, confounding factors, opinions or comments, and second laboratory report or opinion); and
- Qualification of the lab results as an adverse analytical finding (AAF), atypical finding (ATF), negative finding, or not analyzed.
Laboratories, which are independent from ADOs, are the only organization with the ability to submit and make modifications to laboratory results. Laboratories may request a second opinion before reporting an AAF or ATF, in which case they may share certain lab information with a second laboratory. This occurs outside of ADAMS and is managed by the relevant laboratory.
Laboratories must be ISO-accredited and are also subject to a WADA accreditation or approval process. This includes meeting specific confidentiality and security requirements under the ISL. Your testing authority, results management authority, and WADA can view all laboratory results, which are linked to your profile once submitted by a laboratory.
Laboratories must be ISO-accredited and are also subject to a WADA accreditation or approval process. This includes meeting specific confidentiality and security requirements under the ISL. Your testing authority, results management authority, and WADA can view all laboratory results, which are linked to your profile once submitted by a laboratory.
Whereabouts
Whereabouts are used to plan, coordinate, and conduct doping controls (in particular, no advance notice and out of competition testing), to support the analysis of athlete biological passports or other analytical results, or to support the investigation of or proceedings regarding anti-doping rule violations.
Not all athletes are required to provide whereabouts. Athletes within their Anti-Doping Organization’s (ADO’s) registered testing pool (high-level athletes) are required to provide complete whereabouts, as set out in the International Standard for Testing and Investigations. Other athletes may be placed in other whereabouts pools and asked to provide a subset of these whereabouts. These rules are set by each ADO and must be reassessed on an ongoing basis.
Not all athletes are required to provide whereabouts. Athletes within their Anti-Doping Organization’s (ADO’s) registered testing pool (high-level athletes) are required to provide complete whereabouts, as set out in the International Standard for Testing and Investigations. Other athletes may be placed in other whereabouts pools and asked to provide a subset of these whereabouts. These rules are set by each ADO and must be reassessed on an ongoing basis.
Under the International Standard for Testing and Investigations, athletes may be required to provide, on a quarterly basis:
- A mailing address and email address for correspondence;
- Overnight accommodation addresses;
- Addresses for the location(s) where an athlete will be available for testing during a daily one-hour time slot;
- Addresses for the locations of all regular activities, such as training, work or school;
- Details of competition schedules and locations;
- Name and contact details of designated individuals who may be contacted in the event an athlete is unavailable for testing.
If you have an ADAMS account and are required to provide whereabouts, you and any agents you authorize have full access to the Whereabouts module in ADAMS and can upload and modify this information at any time (on web-based ADAMS or on any associated mobile applications like Athlete Central).
Your Whereabouts Custodian (WC), i.e. the ADO that placed you in its whereabouts pool, may also provide you with other channels to submit and update your whereabouts (such as SMS or email). Your WC and WADA can view your submitted whereabouts in ADAMS, and your WC can also allow other ADOs that have testing authority over you to view your whereabouts as needed to plan and coordinate doping controls.
Your Whereabouts Custodian (WC), i.e. the ADO that placed you in its whereabouts pool, may also provide you with other channels to submit and update your whereabouts (such as SMS or email). Your WC and WADA can view your submitted whereabouts in ADAMS, and your WC can also allow other ADOs that have testing authority over you to view your whereabouts as needed to plan and coordinate doping controls.
Therapeutic Use Exemption
Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) allow athletes with a medical condition to use a prohibited substance or method where the conditions of the Code and the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE) are met. The TUE ADAMS module ensures TUEs decisions are properly recorded to facilitate the mutual recognition of such decisions and to avoid the duplication of activities related to their review.
Athletes applying for a TUE will be required to complete an application form, containing:
Following assessment, a TUE certificate or rejected TUE decision form will be issued to you (confirming any relevant reasons for the rejection decision or conditions associated with the granted TUE). This certificate or decision is also maintained in ADAMS.
- The relevant diagnosis and medication details (prohibited substance name, dosage, route of administration, expiry date/duration of treatment);
- A declaration of the diagnosing medical practitioner (including name, contact information and specialty); and
- Supporting medical information (including medical history, results of relevant examinations, laboratory investigations, and imaging studies, as applicable, as well as original medical reports or letters).
Following assessment, a TUE certificate or rejected TUE decision form will be issued to you (confirming any relevant reasons for the rejection decision or conditions associated with the granted TUE). This certificate or decision is also maintained in ADAMS.
Athletes who have been given an ADAMS account by their ADO, and any doctors they authorize, have access to the TUE module in ADAMS in order to submit an application and all supporting medical information. Your ADO may also provide you with different channels to submit your TUE application (such as mail or email).
Both the granting ADO and WADA have access to your application and to the decisions made on this application by Therapeutic Use Exemption Committees (TUECs). TUECs are panels of physicians with appropriate experience in the care and treatment of athletes that assess TUE applications. Your ADO and WADA have their own, separate TUECs, and are each responsible for securely sharing TUE information with these TUECs, which occurs outside of ADAMS.
If you have an existing TUE that must be recognized by a new ADO (for example, if you move from the national level to the international level of competition and now need your International Federation to recognize the TUE), the granting ADO may authorize access to your TUE to this new ADO via ADAMS.
Both the granting ADO and WADA have access to your application and to the decisions made on this application by Therapeutic Use Exemption Committees (TUECs). TUECs are panels of physicians with appropriate experience in the care and treatment of athletes that assess TUE applications. Your ADO and WADA have their own, separate TUECs, and are each responsible for securely sharing TUE information with these TUECs, which occurs outside of ADAMS.
If you have an existing TUE that must be recognized by a new ADO (for example, if you move from the national level to the international level of competition and now need your International Federation to recognize the TUE), the granting ADO may authorize access to your TUE to this new ADO via ADAMS.
Athlete Biological Passport
The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) module in ADAMS complements analytical methods to detect the use of prohibited methods or substances. It can be used to inform target testing or investigations, or to establish a prohibited use on its own. The ABP collates information on biological markers of blood and steroid doping from all samples collected for anti-doping purposes that meet the requirements of the ABP, regardless of the testing authority.
Passports are managed by athlete passport management units (APMUs), which are special units of WADA-accredited laboratories. Like laboratories, they can only see passport information associated with a passport ID, not the athlete name.
Passports are managed by athlete passport management units (APMUs), which are special units of WADA-accredited laboratories. Like laboratories, they can only see passport information associated with a passport ID, not the athlete name.
The ABP module in ADAMS contains the following types of information:
- Biological passport ID;
- Gender, age, sport and discipline;
- List of associated laboratory results and sample codes, as well as related doping control form(s) and
- Blood and steroid biological marker values and ratios.
Like laboratories, athlete passport management units (APMUs) are independent from anti-doping organizations (ADOs) and are subject to a WADA approval process. As part of the assessment of a passport, APMUs may provide access to a passport via ADAMS to independent experts. Both APMUs and the experts they engage are required to comply with a Code of Ethics containing confidentiality obligations.
The ADO responsible for results management of your passport is called the “Passport Custodian” (PC) and, along with WADA, is able to view your passport as linked to your profile. Your PC may also share your passport with other ADOs on a need-to-know basis (for example, your NADO or IF). If authorized by your results management authority, you may have certain access to your blood passport marker values via your ADAMS account.
The ADO responsible for results management of your passport is called the “Passport Custodian” (PC) and, along with WADA, is able to view your passport as linked to your profile. Your PC may also share your passport with other ADOs on a need-to-know basis (for example, your NADO or IF). If authorized by your results management authority, you may have certain access to your blood passport marker values via your ADAMS account.
Results Management
The results management module is used to facilitate the coordinated management of positive test results and sanctioning of anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) to avoid duplication of such activities and facilitate the mutual recognition of disciplinary decisions.
The results management authority (RMA) may consolidate the following types of information in the results management module, in accordance with the International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI) (and, as of 2021, the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM)):
- Adverse analytical finding and atypical finding records, which include a decision (ADRV or no ADRV) and associated testing-related records such as doping control forms, mission / testing orders, laboratory results, relevant therapeutic use exemptions and athlete biological passport information, as applicable;
- Anti-doping rule violation records, which may include the ADRV number and category, details of rule violation and comments; details and dates of provisional suspension (if applicable); and hearing details;
- Whereabouts failure records, which include type of failure, reference date, and comments;
- Sanction records, including the sanction ID, decision, details of sanction and effective dates, category of ADRV, and reasons for decision(s)); and
- Any relevant explanations provided by an athlete and communications or notifications provided to the athlete by the RMA in accordance with the ISTI (and, as of 2021, the ISRM).
Your testing authority and results management authority (RMA) are authorized to view and modify results management-related information in ADAMS (including negative findings, AAFs/ATFs, ADRVs, and sanctions) in order to fulfill their results management responsibilities. WADA, and other ADOs authorized by the RMA, may also view such information as needed to facilitate the mutual recognition of and dissemination of disciplinary decisions).
Intelligence & Investigations
All anti-doping organizations (ADOs) are required to obtain, assess and process anti-doping intelligence from all available sources to help deter and detect doping and to inform effective testing strategies. ADOs must also investigate any analytical or non-analytical information or intelligence that provides reasonable cause to suspect that an anti-doping rule violation may have been committed. ADAMS serves as one source of information to support these intelligence-gathering and investigatory functions.
All types of ADAMS information described in this FAQ may be used, on a case-by-case basis, to support an anti-doping organization’s (ADO’s) intelligence-gathering and investigation-related activities. Under the International Standard for Testing and Investigations, ADOs must have policies and procedures in place to ensure that anti-doping intelligence and investigations are handled securely and confidentially.
Under the Code and the International Standards, anti-doping organizations (ADOs) are encouraged to share anti-doping intelligence with each other as well as with governmental or other authorities, such as professional regulatory bodies. ADOs must ensure any information shared for this purpose complies with applicable law, is relevant to the investigation, and is shared only for anti-doping purposes.