United States Anti-Doping Agency - Results Management

Results Management

USADA is responsible for the results management aspect of drug testing for athletes that fall under their jurisdiction. Results management includes communicating the results of drug tests with athletes as well as the adjudication of athletes suspected of committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), which can be the result of a positive drug test, as well as other methods including all forms of credible evidence. According to the Code, an ADRV consists of the following:

• The presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in an athlete’s sample. (positive test)
• Use or attempted use by an athlete of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method.
• Refusing or failing without compelling justification to submit to sample collection after notification as authorized in applicable anti-doping rules or otherwise evading sample collection.
• Violation of applicable requirements regarding athlete availability for Out-of-Competition Testing including failure to file required whereabouts information and missed tests which are declared based on rules which comply with the International Standard for Testing. Any combination of three missed tests and/or filing failures within an eighteen-month period as determined by anti-doping organizations with jurisdiction over the Athlete shall constitute an anti-doping rule violation. Click here for more information on whereabouts.
• Tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control.
• Possession of prohibited substances and prohibited methods.
• Trafficking or attempted trafficking in any prohibited substance or prohibited method.
• Administration or attempted administration to any athlete in-competition of any prohibited method or prohibited substance, or administration or attempted administration to any athlete out-of-competition of any prohibited method or any prohibited substance that is prohibited out-of-competition, or assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up or any other type of complicity involving an anti-doping rule violation or any attempted anti-doping rule violation.

When evidence meeting one or more of the above violations is found, an independent anti-doping review board will make the recommendation whether USADA should move forward with sanctions on an athlete. Athletes can either accept or challenge the sanction through an established legal process. In the United States athletes can take a case before an arbitration panel (American Arbitration Association / North American Court of Arbitration for sport) with a final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sanctions normally include one or more of the following:

• Disqualification of results in a particular competition or event
• Forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes
• Team disqualification and forfeiture
• An ineligibility period that may vary according to circumstances
• Public announcement
• Name and offense listed on USADA's website indefinitely

Sanctions have ranged from public warnings or time served while completing education (often the case for first time marijuana offenses) to life-time bans for repeated or particularly egregious cases. USADA maintains a list of all sanctioned athletes on its website.