International Testing Agency
The International Testing Agency (ITA) is an international non-for-profit organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its mission is to manage anti-doping programmes, independent from sporting or political bodies, for International Federations (IFs), Major Event Organisers (MEOs) and all other anti-doping organisations that request its support.
The Agency works with an increasing number of National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) around the world to exchange intelligence and information, coordinate testing plans, and collaborate on specific cases or areas such as sample collection and education.
For Tokyo 2020, the ITA, in collaboration with the IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), International Summer Olympic Federations and NADOs, is leading the most extensive pre-Games anti-doping programme ever implemented in the history of the Olympic Games.
At the Olympic Summit held in October 2015, the IOC proposed an independent anti-doping testing and sanctioning system. In March 2017, the establishment of the ITA was one of the IOC’s 12 principles for a more robust and independent global anti-doping system to protect clean athletes. The appointment of the first Foundation Board and the first members was then ratified by the WADA Executive Committee in October 2017.
In July 2018, the ITA became fully operational. In October, it managed the anti-doping programmes of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and then, two years later, those for Lausanne 2020.