MONTREAL, May 10 -- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its Independent Observer (IO) Team's Report regarding the anti-doping program at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.
As it has done at a number of major events since 2000, WADA sent a team to the Games upon invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The team provided real-time feedback in order to suggest areas of ongoing improvement to the program while also writing a post-event report.
In the report, chairman of the team Ben McDevitt said that PyeongChang 2018 "presented some unique challenges and opportunities from a doping control perspective."
He went on to say: "The IO team was impressed by the open and active engagement we received on the ground from anti-doping stakeholders including the IOC and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Notwithstanding a number of issues and challenges highlighted in the Report, the IO team was generally satisfied with the end-to-end doping control arrangements put in place for the Games and congratulates all concerned on the considerable investments, efforts and opportunities that were seized upon to protect clean sport."
McDevitt's team monitored all aspects of the anti-doping program in PyeongChang, including test distribution planning, the selection of competitors for testing, notification of doping control and results management.
As is the case following all team missions, the report includes a number of recommendations for the IOC, the LOC and WADA itself; all designed to enhance anti-doping activities at future Games.