Testing Pool Athletes

TESTING POOLS

Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) has established a Registered Testing Pool (ADS RTP) and a Domestic Testing Pool (ADS DTP) to ensure the effective implementation, coordination, administration and enforcement of the ADS testing programme.

Athletes in the ADS RTP and the ADS DTP, and any other athlete, who meets ADS' definition of athlete under the ADS Anti-Doping Policy, can be subject to both in-competition and out-of-competition doping control tests.

An athlete who has been identified for inclusion in either the ADS RTP or ADS DTP will be notified by ADS directly or through their National Sports Association (NSA). ADS shall in consultation with the respective NSA, identify possible athlete(s) for inclusion into the ADS RTP or ADS DTP based on the criteria listed below. However, ADS shall have the final decision and shall not discuss the reasons for including a particular athlete or athletes into either testing pool.

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION INTO THE ADS RTP OR ADS DTP

Inclusion in the ADS RTP is based on several factors related to the athlete and the sport. These may include:

Athletes already included in their International Federation's Registered Testing Pool
Possible performance enhancing effect that doping may elicit on the sport
Available doping analysis statistics of sports and disciplines
Available research on doping trends
International competition(s) for the year that is of significance to Singapore
Serving periods of ineligibility or provisional suspensions as a result of Anti-Doping Rule Violations
Reinstatement after period of ineligibility
Coming into or out of retirement
Injury
Independent athlete(s) based locally or internationally who are selected for representation at major international events
Return from international training stints of at least 3 months
Unexpected and significant improvement in sporting performance
Training with Athlete Support Personnel previously associated with doping practices
Behaviour indicating doping
Persistent last-minute changing of Whereabouts Information
Athlete sport performance history
Details of past doping controls
Reliable information from a third party

The ADS DTP will comprise mostly athletes who are in national squads and who are not in the ADS RTP. The factors for inclusion in the ADS DTP may include:

Possible performance enhancing effect that doping may elicit on the sport
Available doping analysis statistics of sports and disciplines
Available research on doping trends
International competition(s) for the year that is of significance to Singapore

RETIREMENT AND REINSTATEMENT

Retirement
Athletes in the ADS RTP or ADS DTP who wish to retire from competition, should notify both their NSA and ADS by completing the ADS Athlete Retirement Notification Form and submitting it to their NSA and ADS.

Athletes are required to complete the sample collection process if ADS has not received the ADS Athlete Retirement Notification Form. Failure to comply with the request to provide a sample could result in an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Any athlete on their International Federation's RTP will also be subject to the International Federation's retirement requirements. Athletes are to contact their respective International Federation for more information.

Reinstatement
Athletes must ensure they follow the reinstatement procedures as set out in the ADS Anti-Doping Rules and their International Federation's Anti-Doping Policy, if applicable.

Athletes who have given notice of retirement to ADS and their NSA may only resume competition unless they notify ADS and their NSA at least 6 months before returning to competition and avail themselves to unannounced out-of-competition testing at any time during the period before actual return to competition. Notification of their return to competition should be given to ADS and their NSA using the ADS Athlete Return to Completion Notification Form.

Any athlete in an International Federation's RTP will also be subject to their International Federation's reinstatement requirements.

When an athlete retires while serving a period of ineligibility, the clock stops on the period of ineligibility. If the athlete wishes to be reinstated, the athlete will need to:

wait out either the remaining period of ineligibility or the reinstatement period, whichever is longer; and
be subject to out-of-competition testing.

WHEREABOUTS INFORMATION

An effective out-of-competition testing programme depends largely on accurate and updated whereabouts information.

Athletes who have been nominated by Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) or their National Sports Association (NSA) to be included into the ADS Registered Testing Pool (RTP) or the ADS Domestic Testing Pool (DTP) are required to provide accurate and updated Whereabouts Information to ensure they can be tested at anytime and anywhere with no advance notice.

Athletes in the RTP may incur anti-doping rule violations and subsequent sanctions, if they do not provide accurate and updated whereabouts information.

Athletes in the DTP who do not provide updated and accurate whereabouts information may be included in the ADS RTP.

Athletes must continue to file whereabouts information until:
1. ADS gives written notice to athletes of their removal from its RTP or DTP; or
2. Athletes give written notice to ADS and their NSA of their retirement from sport using ADS Athlete Retirement Notification Form.

International Federations also have their own RTP for international-level athletes. Athletes who have been included in their International Federation and ADS RTP, have to be aware of the ADS Anti-Doping Rules and those of their International Federation's.

ATHLETE WHEREABOUTS OBLIGATION

Whereabouts obligations for Athletes in the ADS RTP and ADS DTP include:
1. Providing accurate and complete whereabouts information to ADS when included into the ADS RTP and ADS DTP and every quarter thereafter.
2. Immediately update any information in a previously provided whereabouts filing if it is incomplete, inaccurate or has changed.
3. For the case of the ADS RTP athlete only - being accessible daily for testing during the 60-minute time slot chosen by the athlete at the precise location specified on the whereabouts filing for the entire 60-minute period and at the other regular locations set forth in the athlete's whereabouts filing at the times specified; and
4. For the case of the ADS DTP athlete only - being accessible for testing at the regular locations set forth in the athlete's whereabouts filing at the times specified.

WHEREABOUTS FILING REQUIREMENTS

Athlete whereabouts filing and updates shall be made through WADA's online Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).

To facilitate athletes in using ADAMS to submit their whereabouts information, watch the video tutorial on entering your whereabouts.

The submission deadlines for each quarter are:

Submission Deadline	For Quarter Starting
15 December	1 January (1st Quarter)
15 March	1 April (2nd Quarter)
15 June	1 July (3rd Quarter)
15 September	1 October (4th Quarter)

Whereabouts Information 1: Correspondence Details
RTP and DTP athletes must provide a complete mailing address and a valid email address where correspondences may be sent to the athlete for formal notice purposes. Any notice or item mailed to the mailing address will be deemed to have been received by the athlete 5 working days after it was deposited in the mail. Where no address is provided, any notice to be given to the athlete will be made through the relevant NSA, International Federation or anti-doping organisation. Athletes must also provide a valid contact number where they can be reached for any anti-doping purpose.

Whereabouts Information 2: Competition Schedule
RTP and DTP athletes must provide details of their competition schedule for the following quarter, including the name and address of each location where the Athlete is scheduled to compete, and the dates on which he/she is scheduled to compete.

If an athlete exits a competition earlier or later than expected they must update their whereabouts immediately.

Athletes are advised to work with their NSA and coach to identify a competition schedule for the coming quarter. If this changes for any reason, for example due to injury, whereabouts filings must be updated immediately.

Whereabouts Information 3: Training Schedule
RTP and DTP athletes must provide details of their training schedule, including training camps. Details should include exact dates, times and the name and address of each training venue. Updates are to be made immediately when their training schedules change.

Whereabouts Information 4: Other Regular Activities
On days where there are no training or competition, RTP and DTP athletes are required to provide details of other regular activities, such as work or school, rehab or physio session, including the dates, times and the name and address of each location of such activities. Updates are to be made immediately when details of such regular activities change.

Whereabouts Information 5: Daily Overnight Residence
RTP and DTP athletes must provide a complete address of the place where they are staying overnight, eg. home, temporary lodgings, hotel, etc. The information should be updated immediately if there are changes.

Requirements Applicable ONLY to RTP Athletes
Whereabouts Information 6: Daily 60-minute Slot
All RTP athletes must enter one specific 60-minute slot each day at a specified location between 5 am and 11 pm where they will be available for testing. The Athlete must provide sufficient information to enable the Doping Control Officer to find the location, to gain access to the location, and to find the athlete at the location.

This information must be accurate and updated at all times. The athlete is liable for a Missed Test if the athlete cannot be located at the venue specified for the 60-minute slot. The athlete is expected to remain at this specified location for the entire 60-minute period.

Updates to the 60-minute slot must be made before the start of the 60-minute slot. This can be done through ADAMS or email ads@sport.gov.sg up to one minute before the start of the 60-minute slot. However, persistent last minute changes can be investigated as an anti-doping rule violation for evading sample collection or tampering with doping control.

Whereabouts Information 7: Travel Information
All RTP athletes must provide their details of their travel plans if they have all-day travel plans that prevent them from entering an accessible 60-minute time slot or an all-night travel plan that would prevent them from entering a fixed and accessible overnight accommodation entry.

Summary of Whereabouts Information Requirements

Testing Pool	Whereabouts Information	Daily 60-minute Slot
RTP	Complete mailing address, email address and contact numbers Address of daily overnight residence Competition details Training details Details of other regular activities Travel plans (when required)	Yes
DTP	Complete mailing address, email address and contact numbers Address of daily overnight residence Competition details Training details Details of other regular activities	No

WHEREABOUTS FAILURES
It is the responsibility of athletes in the RTP and DTP to ensure that their whereabouts information is kept updated and accurate at all times.

Missed Tests
If an RTP athlete is unavailable for testing when an Anti-Doping Organisation attempts to test them at the location specified for their 60-minute slot, then a Missed Test may be recorded.

Filing Failures

If an RTP or DTP athlete fails to provide and/or update the required Whereabouts information so that is accurate, or if the athlete provides information that is insufficient for a Doping Control Officer to locate him/her for testing, or if the athlete is not at the locations specified, then a Filing Failure may be recorded. 

For a RTP Athlete:
Any combination of three Missed Test(s) and/ or Filing Failure(s) within a 12-month period will constitute an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.4 of the Code. The period of sanction is between 1 to 2 years, depending on the athlete's degree of fault.

For a DTP Athlete:
A DTP athlete who is issued 3 warnings for Filing Failures may be included in the RTP where he/she is required to comply with stricter whereabouts requirements and be sanctioned for whereabouts failures. There is no time period for the consideration of warnings issued before a DTP athlete is included into the RTP.

ATHLETES WITH IMPAIRMENT
Athletes with an impairment should provide details of their impairment on ADAMS to assist the ADS with planning and conducting testing.

If ADS asks an intellectually disabled athlete to provide whereabouts information, ADS shall give at least one of the following persons oral or written notice that ADS has made the request:

(a) the athlete's spouse;
(b) the athlete's parent or guardian;
(c) the athlete's coach; or
(d) a representative of the NSA.

CHANGES TO WHEREABOUTS
Where a change in circumstances means that an athlete's current whereabouts filing is no longer accurate or complete, the athlete must update the whereabouts filing as soon as possible so that the information on file is again accurate and complete, or else risk a Missed Test or Filing Failure for RTP athletes, or a Filing Failure for DTP athletes.

While updating will be permitted until the last minute, the athlete are advised to minimise them by updating changes early. Persistent patterns of last-mnute updates may be investigated as anti-doping rule violation for evading sample collection or tampering with doping control.

Updates to whereabouts filing can be made:
(a) Online via ADAMS
(b) By Email to ads@sport.gov.sg

THIRD PARTY AUTHORISATION
Athletes may delegate filing responsibilities for some or all required whereabouts filing to a third party, such as a coach, team manager or a NSA staff. Athletes remain ultimately responsible for making sure their whereabouts information is accurate, whether or not their whereabouts information are filed by the authorised representative or by the athlete.

A written authorisation on the ADS Whereabouts Authorised Representative Form, signed by both the athlete and the authorised representative, should be submitted to ADS before access to ADAMS is made available to the authorised representative to file whereabouts information on the athlete's behalf.

RETIREMENT AND REINSTATEMENT

Athletes in the RTP or DTP who intend to retire from active competition must submit a written notice using the ADS Athlete Retirement Notification Form to inform ADS and their NSA of their retirement.

Athletes, who had previously retired whilst in the RTP or DTP and intend to return to active competition, must provide written notification to ADS and their NSA using the ADS Return to Competition Notification Form at least 6 months before returning to competition. Athletes who violate this requirement will have their competition results disqualified.

To file your Whereabouts Information or for more information about ADAMS, click here.

The ADAMS application for smartphones can be downloaded from iTunes or the Google Play Store.