Look, we get it. Anti-doping is not the sexiest subject in the world.
In light of the Collin Chartier case, the subject is at the forefront of discourse within the sport. It therefore felt appropriate to provide whatever reassurance possible that the world’s top triathletes (at least in short course racing) are being tested.
This article will highlight the athletes that are being tested as well as drawing upon World Triathlon’s own numbers to indicate how often these tests are taking place.
Before we proceed, there are two basic categories to understand. World Triathlon divides its testing into the Registered Testing Pool and the Testing Pool. The difference between the two is that in the Registered Testing Pool, athletes are expected to provide full whereabouts information. By contrast, in the Testing Pool athletes only have to provide limited information.
The top-30 men and women in the world rankings are included in the testing pools. World Triathlon can then add athletes at its discretion. This can be based on results, World Triathlon Risk Assessment’s and an athlete’s Biological Passports.
The top-3 male and female para-triathletes in Paralympic disciplines are also included, as are the top male and female para-triathletes in non-Paralympic disciplines.
In the Testing Pool, athletes have to provide an email address, mailing address, overnight address, competition schedule and an overview of regular training activities.
In the Registered Testing Pool, athletes have to provide all of the items that those in the Testing Pool provide with a few extra items. Alongside training activities, athletes in the Registered Testing Pool have to provide all regular activities (such as school or work). In addition they must provide a full travel schedule and, most importantly, a daily 1 hour slot between 5:00 and 23:00 in which they can be tested.
In the event of any non-compliance by an athlete in the Testing Pool, they are bumped up into the Registered Testing Pool.
If an athlete in the Registered Testing Pool does not comply with the rules, they receive a whereabouts failure. When it comes to such failures, three instances result in a doping ban.
Whereabouts are managed through WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMs).
There is no public logic for why an athlete is in either testing group. That is important to clarify. Being in the Registered Testing Pool does not automatically warrant suspicion; rather it is simply how World Triathlon have opted to categorise each given athlete.
Registered Testing Pool
Below you can see the current female triathletes in the World Triathlon Registered Testing Pool.
Below you can see the male triathletes in the World Triathlon Registered Testing Pool.
Testing Pool
Fans of the sport can therefore be assured that the top athletes are being tested.
There could be an argument to be made for merging the Registered Testing Pool and the Testing Pool. One benefit of this would be to simplify the system. Another would be that it would extend the rigour of the Registered Testing Pool.
This would create a further burden on more athletes, especially with regards to the provision of the 1 hour window each day. Athletes are entitled to lives after all.
Another possible suggestion would be to expand the Testing Pool. After all there are World Cup medallists from 2022 not in either pool. Naturally there will be a cost associated with such an extension but clean sport is on balance worth it.
There is, however, one further point to touch upon: the frequency of the tests.
The 2020 Numbers
The most recent World Triathlon report publicly available on its testing comes from 2021 regarding the 2020 Testing Pools.
In 2020, the Registered Testing Pool and Testing Pool contained 168 athletes. That included 55 in the former and 113 in the latter.
At in‐competition testing, 238 urine samples were collected and analysed while 6 blood samples were collected and analysed. This number is low in part due to the sparse racing opportunities due to the pandemic.
Of greater pertinence was the out of competition testing.
In 2020, 308 urine or blood samples were collected from 152 tests. Again, that number looks small due to the restrictions in place on travel during the pandemic. On the flip side, with reduced racing and testing, 2020 would have been a perfect opportunity to dope. An increased number of tests could have proven beneficial.
Approximately two-thirds of the tests took place during an athlete’s 1 hour time slot. That means that not all of the athletes in the testing pools were tested in 2020 (152 > 168). Moreover if about 100 of the tests were in a 1 hour slot (which remember is only for athletes in the Registered Testing Pool), then only around 50 out of competition tests occurred for the 111 athletes in the Testing Pool.
An athlete in the Testing Pool would have to be unlucky to have one out of competition test per year and borderline jinxed to have two.
There were only 19 unsuccessful test attempts in 2020 but that is a little over 11% of the attempted non-competition tests that year. The unsuccessful tests could simply have been for athletes without a 1 hour slot (those in the Testing Pool). However, sending someone to conduct tests is an expensive exercise and in an ideal world there would be no unsuccessful tests. The fact that the success rate was under 90% therefore lends credence to the proposal that more athletes should provide a 1 hour slot every day.
Fortunately a lot of athletes are also tested by their national anti-doping agencies. However, going by World Triathlon’s 2020 numbers, increasing the number of tests could make the system a tad more robust.
Very informative article 👍