Operation Refuge : An Examination of Doping Among Minors / World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). - Montreal : WADA, 2024
Contents:
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Background
- Stories of Impact
- The ADO Perspective
- Testing and Results Management Data
- Intelligence Reporting
- Research Overview
- WADA Initiatives
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
‘Operation Refuge’ reports in detail about the deep trauma and isolation child athletes experience following a positive test and doping sanction. Undertaken by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department, the report shines a light on the immense challenges faced by minors, their families and the anti-doping community when a child tests positive for a prohibited substance or method. The report delivers a number of conclusions and identifies important areas for improvement on this issue.
In early 2021, WADA’s Confidential Information Unit (CIU) observed an increase in confidential reporting of doping activity amongst minors, including pre-teen athletes. While the lack of detail in many of these reports prevented substantive enforcement action, WADA followed up every case and launched investigations where appropriate.
WADA was concerned by the nature and volume of reporting, leading to the commencement of ‘Operation Refuge’. It examined the doping activities of minors with a view to identifying any patterns of offending, any deficiencies in governance, and any possible strategies on how better to address the issue of doping amongst minors.
A key aspect of ‘Operation Refuge’ was the firsthand accounts obtained from not only minors who had committed doping violations, but also their family and support networks. Although these experiences were shared with WADA on condition of anonymity, such was the impact of these accounts that permission was obtained from some to share their stories in the report.
From the firsthand accounts that were obtained, six key themes emerged, namely:
- Trauma;
- Isolation;
- Impact;
- Pressure;
- Ignorance, and;
- Abandonment
The report details information obtained from human intelligence (e.g., interviews, informants), data analysis, external academic study, open-source research, and the anti-doping community.
