World Anti-Doping Agency agrees to limit athlete data use, watchdog says

The World Anti-Doping Agency has agreed to use only athletes’ highly sensitive personal information for “anti-doping purposes”, that of Canada privacy The commissioner announced Tuesday the resolution of a years-long investigation into the organization’s data-sharing practices.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said in a statement that the World Anti-Doping Agency is committed to a series of measures that will help ensure that international sports federations and anti-doping organizations do not use information collected from athletes for another purpose.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency is entrusted with protecting the highly sensitive personal information of thousands of athletes from around the world,” said Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne.

“I welcome WADA’s commitment to take steps to ensure that this information is used only for the purposes for which it was collected.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency told Global News in a statement that it was “pleased” to enter into the compliance agreement and resolve the investigation.

“WADA takes the privacy of athletes’ data very seriously and has always maintained compliance with applicable privacy laws, including Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA),” a spokesperson said.

“WADA has not admitted to violating privacy rules in Canada or elsewhere, but it is committed to working with regulators to address evolving privacy best practices.”

Dufresne launched an investigation in November 2024 after receiving a complaint that claimed that the World Anti-Doping Agency had disclosed biological sample information to international sports federations, which used the information to assess athletes’ sex-based eligibility without their knowledge or consent.

Such actions, if proven, would be in violation of the Canadian privacy law, to which the Montreal-based agency was subjected in 2015.

The compliance agreement, which was signed by the agency’s director general and president, says the World Anti-Doping Agency disputed the allegations and Dufresne’s jurisdiction over the investigation.

“WADA is willing to enter into this agreement to resolve the commissioner’s investigation, but WADA does not admit any violation” of PIPEDA, the agreement says.

The pledge comes shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Italy, but with the FIFA World Cup just three months from kicking off in Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Under the terms of the agreement, the agency will update the World Anti-Doping Code by January 1, 2027, to specify that sports information collected for its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System should only be used for anti-doping purposes.

It must communicate that statute to anti-doping organizations within one month of signing the agreement, and update the Privacy Commissioner on the mechanism it will use to ensure that these organizations comply no later than six months after signing.

The World Anti-Doping Agency must submit quarterly reports to the privacy watchdog on its progress in implementing its remedial measures until they are fully in place.

Dufresne reserves the right to apply to a court that forces the agency to comply if he believes that the measures in the agreement have not been completed.

“WADA’s decision to enter into this agreement is not an acceptance of the OPC’s jurisdiction over the matters addressed in this process, and WADA expressly reserves its rights in that regard,” the agency’s spokesperson told Global News.

“However, WADA is fully committed to meeting all obligations within this compliance agreement.”

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