The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that a full audit conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on 3 and 4 November 2021 confirmed the strength and quality of the UCI’s anti-doping programme.
The UCI was the 62nd Anti-Doping Organisation (ADO) audited by WADA[1] as part of its Compliance Monitoring Programme to assess their compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code. Each ADO is then provided with a Corrective Action Report and Plan to assist with their anti-doping programme.
The in-person audit of the UCI came 11 months after the official transfer of its anti-doping operational activities from the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) to the International Testing Agency (ITA)[2].
The audit covered all operations such as UCI governance, budgeting and reporting, intelligence and investigations, education, the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) programme, results management as well as data protection.
In its report, the WADA Audit Team highlighted the numerous strengths of the UCI and of its anti-doping programme. There were very few findings and corrective actions to report on, given the quality of the UCI’s programme.
It found that both the UCI and the ITA were high-functioning and high-performing with extremely competent, dedicated, and passionate staff. It was also impressed by the ingrained collaborative style it witnessed, as well as the proactive approach to the joint effort between the ITA and UCI staff. According to the Audit Team, this collaborative approach would appear to ensure that the UCI 's processes and procedures are robust and that the different areas of its programme are comprehensive and efficient.
This result again confirms that the transition from the CADF to the ITA has been a success and enhances the protection of clean riders.
As a matter of transparency, the UCI has published here the Introduction of the Audit Corrective Action Report issued by WADA as well as a summary of the audit process and outcome below.
The full report cannot be disclosed publicly for confidentiality reasons.
The UCI will not comment further on the matter.
Audit Outcome Summary
There are very few findings to report on, given the quality of the UCI as an Anti-Doping Organisation and its Anti-Doping Programme
Both the UCI and ITA are highly functioning and performing with extremely competent, dedicated, and passionate staff.
A comprehensive testing planning process and an overall robust out-of-competition testing process are in place.
Intelligence and Investigations are led by an efficient team of experts.
A comprehensive Anti-Doping Education Programme is in place·
The TUE programme is very well managed.
Adequate tools in place and good collaboration with the ITA with respect to results management.
Good processes are in place for protecting personal information and other sensitive data, but these processes shall be increasingly documented.
Excellent collaboration between the UCI and ITA ensuring that the UCI 's processes and procedures are robust and that the areas of its programme are globally comprehensive.
Following receipt of the WADA Corrective Action Plan, the UCI and the ITA have already started working hand-in-hand to implement the limited corrective actions required by WADA within the set deadlines to ensure that the UCI Anti-Doping Programme remains fully compliant and at the forefront of the fight against doping.
[1] The list of audits that have been undertaken by WADA can be found at https://www.wada-ama.org/en/audits.
[2] The ITA is an international organisation constituted in the form of a non-profit foundation and based in Lausanne (Switzerland). The ITA was set up at the initiative of the Olympic Movement and with the support of WADA. Its mission is to offer independent anti-doping services to sporting and political authorities. It currently manages programmes for more than 50 organisations, including International Federations of Olympic sports and leading event organisers. The ITA Cycling Unit has been fully operational since 1 January 2021 and is mostly made up of former employees of the CADF, the body that led the fight against doping in cycling between 2008 and late 2020, and is benefiting from all the existing resources and staff at the ITA.