September 30, (THEWILL) – On Wednesday, FIFA released its 2020/2021 Anti-Doping Report, covering the organisation’s efforts from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
While the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on FIFA’s anti-doping programme, with tournaments postponed and matches cancelled during the period covered by the report, a total of 354 players were subjected to doping control tests in the following FIFA competitions:
• FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers: 184
• Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: 68
• Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: 50
• FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020™: 28
• FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ qualifiers: 24
A total of 602 samples (322 in-competition and 280 out-of-competition) were obtained as part of those tests, including 357 urine samples, 165 blood samples, and 80 blood-passport samples.
Only one of the 602 samples collected yielded an unusual outcome. Further analysis of the concentration of the forbidden material discovered in this sample led to the most likely conclusion that the atypical finding was caused by meat contamination.
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) procedures, it was decided not to submit this discovery as an adverse analytical sample and to close the investigation.
The amended WADA Code and the new edition of the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations were launched in 2021, both of which are aimed at combating doping in sport even more effectively around the world.
FIFA hosted three online seminars for anti-doping experts from its 211 member associations to highlight the most significant developments and demonstrate the results management process in positive cases.
Finally, FIFA completed the first edition of its FIFA Executive Program in Anti-Doping, which aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the most important regulatory, institutional, and scientific aspects of anti-doping in sport
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
