AIU: Why out-of-competition testing and whereabouts requirements matter

The Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, the body founded by World Athletics in 2017 to combat doping and address other forms of ethical misconduct in the sport of athletics and which operates independently from World Athletics and has complete authority for the management of ethics and integrity in athletics has revealed why out-of-competition testing and whereabouts requirements are central to their plans to rid the sport of drugs cheats.

The body says it could test all athletes at a competition venue and not get a single positive test because most prohibited substances and methods are not detected if the sample is taken too late or at the wrong time.

The AIU however says it is constantly investigating the most efficient testing schedules and profiling athletes to make sure cheats are caught.

‘This is why out-of-competition testing and whereabouts requirements matter,’ the AIU wrote on its X handle and insists athletes, support personnel and authorities all need to do their part to protect the integrity of athletics.

The AIU also wrote thus: ‘Our intelligence-driven anti-doping plan focuses on targeted testing for elite competitors.

‘Our information platform centralises all the relevant intelligence relating to a specific athlete, thus fine-tuning the decision-making in test planning.

‘Testing intelligence means testing the right athlete, at the right time, with the right type of test and analysis.’