Whereabouts: the athlete location system
Out-of-competition testing without notice is one of the most effective tools against doping. But to come to an athlete without notice, one must know where they are. For this there is the Whereabouts system: some athletes report their plans in advance, and three failures in a year are equated to a doping violation. The editorial team explains how it works.
Why the location system is needed
Many prohibited substances are eliminated from the body quickly, while their effect — for example, a gain in muscle mass or haemoglobin — lasts longer. If athletes are tested only at competitions, preparations can be used in the off-season and one can arrive at the start «clean». That is precisely why out-of-competition testing without notice is considered a key element of deterrence.
The location system enables anti-doping organisations to find an athlete on any day of the year. The Whereabouts rules are enshrined in the International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI), and the consequences of failures — in the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM) and Article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
Data are submitted through ADAMS — WADA's centralised system — or through the Athlete Central mobile app. Only organisations authorised to test a specific athlete have access to the information, and data processing is governed by the privacy protection standard.
The system has repeatedly drawn criticism as an intrusion into private life. However, in 2018, in a case brought by French sports associations and athletes (FNASS and Others v. France), the European Court of Human Rights found that the whereabouts requirements are a justified interference in view of the fight against doping and the protection of health.
Who is required to submit data
Not every athlete has to report where they spend the night. Anti-doping organisations form several levels of pools, and the scope of obligations depends on which one the athlete has ended up in.
| Pool | Who is included | Scope of obligations |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Testing Pool (RTP) | Highest-priority athletes of the international federation or NADO | Full quarterly filings, a daily 60-minute slot, liability for three failures |
| Testing Pool (TP) | The next priority level | Simplified data (for example, address, training and competition schedule); requirements are set by the organisation |
| Other athletes | The remaining athletes under the organisation's jurisdiction | May receive a request for data, but without the «three failures» mechanism |
An athlete is notified in writing of inclusion in the RTP, with an explanation of the obligations and consequences. From the moment of notification the athlete bears personal responsibility for filings, even if technically the data are entered by a coach, agent or federation.
The criteria for inclusion in the pools are determined on the basis of a risk assessment: level of results, sport, testing history, intelligence information. An athlete may be both included in a pool and removed from it.
If an athlete in the RTP ends their career, they must officially report this. A return to competition after ending a career requires a preceding period of availability for testing.
What exactly the athlete specifies
An athlete in the RTP submits information before the start of each quarter for the whole of the coming quarter, and then updates it whenever plans change. Updates can be entered right up to the start of the relevant time window.
- Residential addressand, separately, the place of overnight stay for each day.
- Regular activities:training, study, work — with addresses and times.
- Competition schedulefor the quarter.
- 60-minute time slotfor each day between 5:00 and 23:00 with an exact location.
- Postal addressfor official notifications.
The central element of the system is the daily 60-minute slot. During this hour the athlete is guaranteed to be at the specified location and available for testing. Testing can also take place outside the slot, but a missed test carrying legal consequences is recorded only when the athlete was not found precisely within the declared hour.
Many athletes choose the slot early in the morning at home, before 6–7 o'clock, because at that time they are most predictable. Others tie it to a regular training session. The main thing is realism: the slot must match the usual routine so that it does not have to be constantly changed.
The information must be precise enough for a doping control officer to find the athlete: apartment number, intercom code, building name, surname on the door. A vague address can in itself become grounds for recording a filing failure.
Filing failures, missed tests and sanctions
The ISRM distinguishes two types of failure. A filing failure is failure to submit data on time or submitting inaccurate, incomplete or false information. A missed test is a situation where the officer arrived at the specified location within the 60-minute slot but the athlete was not available.
Every case goes through a procedure: the athlete is notified, has the right to provide an explanation, after which the organisation decides whether to count the failure. Not every absence becomes a «strike»: the athlete must have been properly notified of their obligations and acted at least negligently.
Any combination of three filing failures and/or missed tests within 12 months constitutes an anti-doping rule violation under Article 2.4 of the Code. The basic sanction is two years' disqualification, with the possibility of reduction to one year depending on the degree of fault. If the conduct indicates an attempt to evade testing, no reduction applies.
Illustrative cases confirm the seriousness of the rules. The 2019 world champion in the 100 m, Christian Coleman, received a disqualification for three Whereabouts failures; CAS in 2021 reduced it from two years to 18 months, but the athlete missed the Tokyo Olympic Games all the same. The 2019 world champion in the 400 m, Salwa Eid Naser, was also disqualified for two years for whereabouts rule violations.
Filing failures and missed tests recorded by different organisations are combined. That is, a failure recorded by a national agency and a failure from an international federation may add up to a single «trio».
How not to get a «strike»: practice
Most problems with Whereabouts are linked not to deliberate evasion but to everyday carelessness: a flight changed, the athlete stayed overnight at friends', the phone was on silent. A few habits substantially reduce the risk.
- Update the data immediately as soon as plans change, not «in the evening».
- Choose a slot in a place where you are almost always present at that time.
- Give the most detailed address possible and, where possible, a phone number.
- Set up reminders in Athlete Central and in your calendar.
- Before trips, check that new overnight addresses have been entered.
- Keep confirmations of changes (screenshots, system notifications).
If you delegate the filling-in to a coach or agent, remember: responsibility stays with you. Delegation is no excuse for a filing failure.
On receiving notification of a possible missed test, do not ignore it. Provide an explanation on time, with evidence: tickets, medical certificates, testimony. There are quite a few cases where a missed test was not counted because the athlete proved that the officer did not take reasonable steps to find them.
Athletes who have only just entered the RTP should take a national agency or WADA training course on Whereabouts. The first quarter is the riskiest, when the habit has not yet formed.
Editorial conclusions
Whereabouts is the price that top-level athletes pay for the chance to prove their cleanliness. The system is demanding, but its rules are clear: quarterly filings, updates in case of changes, a daily 60-minute slot.
Three filing failures or missed tests within 12 months are equated to a doping violation with disqualification of up to two years — even if the athlete has never used prohibited substances.
Discipline, detailed addresses and timely updates solve most problems. And in the event of a notification of a failure, it is important to react quickly and with documentation.
We also recommend reading our articles on the work of the national anti-doping agency, on the rights of an athlete during doping control and on appeals in doping cases.
References
- World Anti-Doping Agency. World Anti-Doping Code 2021 (Article 2.4). Montreal: WADA; 2021.
- World Anti-Doping Agency. International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI). Montreal: WADA; 2021.
- World Anti-Doping Agency. International Standard for Results Management (ISRM), Annex B: Results Management for Whereabouts Failures. Montreal: WADA; 2021.
- European Court of Human Rights. National Federation of Sportspersons' Associations and Unions (FNASS) and Others v. France. Judgment of 18 January 2018.
- Court of Arbitration for Sport. Christian Coleman v. World Athletics. Award, 2021.
- World Anti-Doping Agency. International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information (ISPPPI). Montreal: WADA; 2021.
Andriy Melnyk
A strength-sports coach and author of programs for beginner and intermediate levels. Writes about training planning.
