Doping can be harmful to an athlete’s health, damages the integrity of sport, and is morally and ethically wrong.

All athletes participating in WFDF competitions must abide by the WFDF Anti-Doping Rules.

What is Doping?

Doping is not just a positive test showing the presence of a prohibited substance in an athlete’s urine sample. Doping is defined as the occurrence of one or more of the 11 Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) outlined in the World Anti-Doping Code and WFDF Anti-Doping Rules. These are:

  1. Presence of a prohibited substance, its metabolites or markers in an athlete’s sample
  2. Use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete
  3. Refusing, evading or failing to submit to sample collection by an athlete
  4. Failure to file whereabouts information and/or missed tests by an athlete 
  5. Tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process by an athlete or other person
  6. Possession of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete or athlete support personnel 
  7. Trafficking or attempted trafficking of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete or other person
  8. Administering or attempting to administer a prohibited substance or method to an athlete
  9. Complicity or attempted complicity in an ADRV by an athlete or other person
  10. Prohibited Association by an athlete or other person with a sanctioned athlete support personnel
  11. Acts to discourage or retaliate against reporting to authorities

Why is Doping in Sport Prohibited?

The use of doping substances or doping methods to enhance performance is fundamentally wrong and is detrimental to the overall spirit of sport. Drug misuse can be harmful to an athlete's health and to other athletes competing in the sport. It severely damages the integrity, image, and value of sport, whether or not the motivation to use drugs is to improve performance. To achieve integrity and fairness in sport, a commitment to clean sport is critical.

What does ‘Strict Liability’ Mean?

  • The principle of strict liability applies to all athletes who compete in any sport with an anti-doping program. It means that athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance, or its metabolites or markers found to be present in their urine and/or blood sample collected during doping control, regardless of whether the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or method. Therefore, it is important to remember that it is each and every athlete’s ultimate responsibility to know what enters their body.
  • The rule which provides that principle, under Code Article 2.1 and Article 2.2, states that it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence, or knowing use on the athlete’s part be demonstrated by the Anti-Doping Organization to establish an anti-doping rule violation.

Why is Doping Dangerous?

Doping can result in severe health consequences but also comes with sport, social, financial and legal consequences. For an athlete, doping could spell the end of their sporting career, reputation, and prospects both in and out of sport.

What are the organizations involved in protecting clean sport? 

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

WADA was established in 1999 as an international independent agency to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport. WADA’s governance and funding are based on equal partnership between the Sport Movement and Governments of the world.

WADA’s primary role is to develop, harmonize and coordinate anti-doping rules and policies across all sports and countries. WADA’s key activities include:

  • Scientific and social science research
  • Education
  • Intelligence & investigations
  • Development of anti-doping capacity and capability
  • Monitoring of compliance with the World Anti-Doping Program.

For more information about WADA, consult WADA’s website.

World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) as an International Federation

WFDF is responsible for implementing an effective and Code-compliant anti-doping program for the sport. Under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), IFs such as WFDF are required to carry out the following anti-doping activities:

  • Providing education programs
  • Analyzing the risk of doping in their sport 
  • Conducting in-competition and out-of-competition testing
  • Management of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) for international-level athletes
  • Results Management including sanctioning those who commit Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs)

If you have any anti-doping queries, please contact WFDF Anti-Doping.

National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs)

NADOs are organizations designated by each country as possessing the primary authority and responsibility to:

  • Adopt and implement anti-doping rules at a national level
  • Plan and carry out anti-doping education
  • Plan tests and adjudicate anti-doping rule violations at a national level 
  • Test athletes from other countries competing within that nation’s borders if required to

Check the list of NADOs to find out who to contact in your country.

If a NADO has not been designated in a country, the National Olympic Committee (NOC), if there is no NADO, takes over these responsibilities. 

Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (RADOs)

In a number of regions of the world, countries have pooled their resources together to create a RADO responsible for conducting anti-doping activities in the region in support of NADOs. 

RADOs bring together geographically-clustered groups of countries where there are limited or no anti-doping activities, for which they take over responsibility, including:

  • Providing anti-doping education for athletes, coaches and support personnel
  • Testing athletes
  • Training of local sample collection personnel (doping control officers/chaperones)
  • An administrative framework to operate within.

Check the list of RADOs.