The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to officially announce the expansion of its Intelligence & Investigations (I&I) Department’s Capability and Capacity Building Project to the Asia and Oceania region.
The expansion of the project builds off the massive success of the I&I Capability and Capacity Building project in Europe, and will involve anti-doping organizations (ADOs) and law enforcement agencies from 61 countries in Asia and Oceania. The success of the European project led WADA, in collaboration with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and New Zealand’s Sport Integrity Commission, among other partners, to commit to the creation of a Global Anti-Doping Intelligence & Investigations Network (GAIIN).
The European edition of the project led to developed I&I capability and capacity in 48 countries and the initiation of more than 100 concerted operations involving law enforcement and National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs), such as the ones carried out in Poland and Serbia, among others. Overall, these operations dismantled 25 illicit laboratories and resulted in the seizure of 25 tons of performance enhancing drugs totaling an estimated 500 million doses.
For Asia and Oceania, the first of six advanced in-person workshops scheduled to take place in 2025 began earlier today on the Gold Coast of Australia, and was hosted by SIA. The next workshop will be held in Saudi Arabia, followed by two workshops each in both Thailand (hosted by Mahidol University) and India (hosted by the India National Anti-Doping Agency).
WADA Director, I&I, Günter Younger, said: “WADA is excited to launch this next phase of its groundbreaking Intelligence & Investigations Capability and Capacity Building Project in Asia and Oceania. I would like to thank Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), New Zealand’s Sport Integrity Commission and our partners in Saudi Arabia, Thailand and India for their commitment to this important initiative. The success of the project in Europe laid the foundation for what we believe we can achieve in the rest of the world. By developing capacity and strengthening relationships with law enforcement in these regions, we hope that we will see similar success here. We are eager to begin working with our partners in Asia and Oceania, starting with the first workshop graciously hosted by SIA in Australia this week.”
The multi-phase project in Asia and Oceania will run over the next two years and will include online and in-person training of National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) and law enforcement officers, with the objective of increasing in-house I&I capacity and supporting collaboration between NADOs and law enforcement agencies. As part of the project, WADA will also coordinate and support operations conducted by law enforcement and NADOs, and deliver a final conference funded by the Indian NADO to present the project’s outcomes.
Sport Integrity Australia CEO, Dr. Sarah Benson, said: “Sport Integrity Australia is proud to be partnering with WADA on this important initiative, and we are pleased to be hosting the first advanced workshop of the Intelligence & Investigations Capability and Capacity Building Project in Asia and Oceania. The specialized workshops will focus on key areas of doping investigations, intelligence gathering and investigative capability. They will also set the table for future collaborations between National Anti-Doping Organizations and law enforcement agencies throughout the Asia and Oceania region. Hosting this event highlights Sport Integrity Australia’s commitment to work closely with its international partners to build capability and share intelligence to create a protective ecosystem for sport against threats to integrity.”
It is intended that the Capability and Capacity Building Project and GAIIN will continue to be expanded internationally in the coming years, including to the Americas in 2026/2027 and Africa in 2028/2029.