At the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization (RADO), our primary aim is to detect and deter doping amongst athletes, ensuring the integrity and fairness of sports. Athletes under the jurisdiction of our eighteen (18) Member Countries may be tested at any time, without prior notice, both in and out of competition. Testing is a critical tool in protecting the health of athletes and maintaining the spirit of clean sport.
Testing can be performed in-competition (from 11:59 PM the day before the competition until the end of the competition) or out-of-competition (any time outside the in-competition period). Athletes are required to provide either a urine or blood sample, or both, depending on the testing protocol. Once a sample of blood or urine is collected, it is sent to a WADA accredited laboratory to be analysed. The laboratory personnel do not know who the sample is from as the samples are anonymous, only notifiable by a sample number.
Roles and Responsibilities
Doping Control Officers (DCOs): Certified and trained personnel authorized to conduct testing.
Chaperones: Individuals who notify athletes of testing and may observe the sample provision.
Blood Collection Officers (BCOs): Experienced phlebotomists who carry out blood withdrawals.
Urine Sample:
A. Notification of an athlete of selection for a drug test.
- Chaperone or Doping Control Officer (DCO) will notify you that you have been selected for testing and will show you their identification.
- You will be told your rights and responsibilities, asked to show your notification to ensure a DCO has the right athlete, and then you will be asked to sign the top part of a Doping Control Form (DCF) to confirm you have been notified.
B. Reporting for testing
You will be observed at all times by a Chaperone or Doping Control Officer (DCO) until you arrive at a Doping Control Station (DCS), where testing will take place.
You should report immediately to a Doping Control Station (DCF) unless you request a delay for a permitted reason. A delay can be requested for:
In-Competition
- Participation in a medal ceremony
- Media commitments
- Competing in further competition
- Completing a cool-down
- Receiving medical treatment
- Locating a representative or an interpreter
- Obtaining photo ID
- Any other justifiable exceptional circumstance
Out-of-Competition
- Locating a representative
- Completing a training session
- Receiving medical treatment
- Obtaining photo ID
- Any other justifiable exceptional circumstance
C. Selecting a collection vessel
- You will be asked to choose a sample collection kit. Inspect the kit carefully to ensure the kit you select is sealed and has not been tampered with.
D. Providing the sample under supervision
- When ready, you will be asked to wash your hands or wear gloves and then to provide your sample. The DCO, who will be the same gender as you, will closely observe you providing your sample. You will be asked to remove/lift your clothing above your chest and below your knees so a Doping Control Officer has an unobstructed view and witness the passing of the sample from your body to the collection vessel.
- You will be required to provide at least 90 ml of urine. If you are not able to produce 90 ml all at once, you will be asked to wait in a Doping Control Station until you can provide a full sample.
E. Selecting the sampling kit
- You will be asked to choose an Anti-Doping testing kit from either two or three kits, which contains two bottles within them. Athletes must ensure that neither the kit nor the bottle have been tampered with and that the code on the bottles match and correspond to the code on the box.
F. Dividing the sample and testing the sample specific gravity
- You will be asked to divide the sample, beginning with B bottle.
- Doping Control Officer will then check the concentration of your sample. If it is overdiluted you may be asked to provide another sample.
- You should always follow your normal hydration strategies – overhydrating can make your sample too dilute, which can result in you having to provide another sample.
G. Sealing the Samples
- You will be asked to secure and seal A and B bottles. The lids are specially made to not allow opening without special equipment. They also contain tamper-evident seals.
H. Verifying the Sample
- You will need to review the information on a Doping Control Form to ensure information is all correct, add in some information, and sign it.
- Remember to add any medications and/or supplements you have taken within the last 7 days and consider allowing your sample to be used for research purposes. Whatever you decide, it will not affect your doping control.
- If you have any concerns to share about the process, write them on a Doping Control Form.
- You will be given a copy of a Doping Control Form that you should keep in a safe place.
Your samples will be sent to a WADA accredited laboratory, where the A sample will be analysed and the B sample will be stored securely. Samples can be stored for up to 10 years.
Sample Collection Process for a Blood Sample
A. Notification of selection for a drug test
- Chaperone or Doping Control Officer will notify you to say you have been selected for testing and will show you their identification.
- You will be told your rights and responsibilities, asked to show your identification to ensure a Doping Control Officer has the right athlete, and then you will be asked to sign the top part of a Doping Control Form to confirm you have been notified.
B. Reporting for testing
- You will be observed at all times by a chaperone or Doping Control Officer until you arrive at a Doping Control Station, where testing will take place.
- You should report immediately to a Doping Control Station unless you request a delay for the same permitted reason as for a Urine Sample.
C. Rest for a period of time
- Before your blood is collected, you will be asked to be seated for a period of time.
D. Selecting the Sample Kits
- You should inspect a kit to ensure it has not been tampered with.
- Verify the sample code numbers match; if the kit includes pre-printed barcode labels, you can place those on the tubes.
- Blood kits can include up to 5 tubes: 2 tubes, A and B sample to analyse whole blood, 2 tubes, another A and B sample, to analyse serum, and 1 tube, A sample only, is for the Athlete Biological Profile.
E. Providing the Sample
- Blood Collection Officer will determine where to draw blood from.
- Blood Collection Officer will clean the area with a sterile disinfectant swab, and apply a tourniquet to help with collection.
- Total of 15-16 ml of blood will be drawn which should not affect athletic performance. Blood Collection Officer can attempt to draw blood up to 3 times.
- You may be asked to stay at a Doping Control Station if your blood samples need to be left at room temperature for a certain length of time.
F. Sealing the Samples
- You will be asked to seal your blood samples in tamper-evident devices.
G. Verifying the Sample
- Blood Collection Officer will ask you if you have had any blood transfusions in the last three months. You will need to review the information on a Doping Control Form to ensure the information is all correct, add in some information, and sign it once completed.
- Remember to add any medications and/or supplements you have taken within the last 7 days and consider allowing your sample to be used for research purposes.
- If you have any concerns to share about the process, write them on a Doping Control Form.
- You will be given a copy of the Doping Control Form that you should keep in a safe place.
Your samples will be sent to a WADA accredited laboratory, where A sample will be analysed and B sample will be stored securely. Samples can be stored for up to 10 years. Throughout this process, forms are completed and signed to show the chain of custody and who has been in possession of the sample from the moment it left a Doping Control Station up to and including when it arrives at a laboratory. The bottles are inspected at a laboratory for signs of tampering or leaking. The sample in A bottle is opened and analysed. B bottle will only be opened if a banned substance is found in A bottle and if you or the testing authority request it to be opened.
Rights and Responsibilities during Sample Collection
Athlete rights during sample collection are to:
- Have a representative accompany them during the process
Request an interpreter, if one is available - Ask for Chaperone’s/Doping Control Officer’s identification
- Ask any questions
- Request a delay for a valid reason (e.g., attending a victory ceremony, receiving necessary medical attention, warming down or finishing a training session)
- Request special assistance or modifications to the process should you have an impairment that requires modifying the process
- Record any comments or concerns on the Doping Control Form
Athlete responsibilities during sample collection are to:
- Report for testing immediately if selected
- Show valid identification (usually a government-issued ID)
- Remain in direct sight of the Doping Control Officer or Chaperone from the point of notification until the completion of the sample collection procedure.
- Be in control of the sample.
- Comply with the collection procedure
The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is an individual electronic profile that monitors selected athlete biological variables that indirectly reveal the effects of doping. An ABP is integrated directly into ADAMS. Once an Anti-Doping Organisation has collected enough information from samples to establish what an athlete’s “normal” profile is, they are also able to determine if a subsequent sample is out of the normal range, even being not familiar with the reason for the skewed result. The tracking of changes over time is a different approach. In traditional urine and blood tests, the laboratory is screening for a banned substance in the sample. In an Athlete Biological Passport, they are looking instead for the effects on the body that a substance might trigger.
Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is used to have a more intelligent target testing of athletes. The samples that can be used for the Athlete Biological Passport are urine, blood, or both, collected in the same way as a normal test. The only difference is that if an athlete has exercised within two (2) hours before a Doping Control Officer arrives, they will have to wait a two-hour period before providing a blood sample. Samples used for Athlete Biological Passport require a specific additional form.
The results are reported into ADAMS and assessed and managed by special units of WADA-accredited laboratories called Athlete Passport Management Units (APMUs). If the passport is abnormal, then the APMU will ask an Athlete Biological Passport expert to review it and determine whether there was a likelihood of doping. If that determination is made, then the passport will be reviewed by a panel of three ABP experts. If the experts make the same conclusion, an Athlete will be notified and have the opportunity to provide an explanation. If after this step the experts maintain the “likely doping” explanation, then an Anti-Doping Rule Violation may be pursued.
Why Understanding Testing is Important
Familiarity with the testing process helps athletes prepare and respond confidently if selected for doping control. Education through platforms like ADEL, seminars, and webinars enhances understanding of rights and responsibilities. Remember, refusal to comply with testing can result in severe penalties, including a potential four-year ban.