Reminder: Revised 2026 International Standard for Testing and Investigations enters into force on 1 April with changes to blood collection wait times for Athletes

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to remind stakeholders that the revised International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI), which was published in January 2026, will enter into force on 1 April 2026.  

Under the 2026 ISTI, the wait time for athletes providing a blood sample for the Hematological Module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) after any physical activity (e.g., training or competition) is reduced from two hours to 60 minutes, which is a significant improvement for both athletes and Sample Collection Authorities. 

In addition, the new 60-minute wait time following any physical activity will also apply to all blood samples collected in a serum tube that will be analyzed for substances such as growth hormone, erythropoietin receptor agonists (ERAs), and other modules of the ABP. It should be clarified that the 60-minute wait does not apply if the athlete did not train or compete prior to the sample collection, and/or to whole blood samples collected in EDTA tubes that will not be analyzed for the Hematological Module of the ABP. Finally, the 2026 ISTI also includes changes to the mandatory questions that athletes are asked when providing a blood sample for the Hematological Module of the ABP.  

To accommodate these changes, the WADA ‘ABP Supplementary Report Form’ is replaced by the ‘Blood Collection Supplementary Report Form.’ These changes are also reflected in the Doping Control Forms in ADAMS and in DCO Central—more information on this topic is available here.   

A detailed summary of major changes from the 2023 to the 2026 ISTI can be found here and the redlined version of the 2026 ISTI can be found here.   

Should you have any questions or comments regarding the 2026 ISTI, we invite you to contact testing@wada-ama.org.