Anti-Doping - Alteration to the FISA Registered Testing Pool definition

New criteria have been announced for determining which rowers will be included in the 2010 FISA Registered Testing Pool. This is the group of rowers who are required by the World Anti-Doping Code to provide their whereabouts in order for unannounced anti-doping testing to take place efficiently.

These criteria include:

a. All rowers having placed first in Olympic/ non Olympic/ Paralympic events at the previous year’s World Championships/ Olympic/ Paralympic Games.
b. All rowers who have retired while included in the Registered Testing Pool and who have notified FISA of a return to competition will be included six months before their return and for one year following the return to competition.
c. All rowers under a doping sanction intending to return to competition will be included six months before the end of the sanction and for one year following the end of the sanction.

In addition to this, the FISA Anti-Doping Committee shall also select rowers to be included into the pool from the following three groups (at the discretion of the FISA Anti-Doping Committee).

a. Rowers having placed in the first three finishers in at least one of the two previous years in World Championships/ Rowing World Cups/ Olympic/ Paralympic Games/ Continental Games/ Continental Championships.
b. Rowers from countries having participated in one of the two previous years in a FISA Rowing World Cup/ World Rowing Championship regatta but where little or no anti-doping testing has been conducted on rowers in their country in the previous two years by a national anti-doping agency.
c. Rowers having competed in any international regatta based on analytical testing results or performance.

This new wording now replaces the previous wording in paragraph 5.5.2 of the FISA Anti-Doping Bye-Laws, following the guidance of the World Anti-Doping Code, Standards and Guidelines.

As specified in the original wording, there is an obligation on each such rower to keep FISA informed about where the rower can be met for unannounced testing at any time by submitting quarterly whereabouts on or before 31 December, 31 March, 30 June and 30 September. Any changes to the information submitted should be immediately communicated to FISA Headquarters using ADAMs or an agreed centralized national database.

National Federations are being informed which rowers from their federations are included for 2010.

The World Rowing team values feedback.