WADA announces Independent Observer teams for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce the members of the Independent Observer (IO) teams tasked with managing the IO program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will take place from 6-22 February and 6-15 March 2026, respectively. 

WADA’s IO program is designed to enhance athlete and public confidence as to the quality, effectiveness, and reliability of anti-doping programs during major international multisport events.   

WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said: “WADA’s Independent Observer teams for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are made up of experienced and knowledgeable anti-doping experts who are well-versed in the fundamentals of a robust anti-doping program. These teams play an essential role in ensuring a level playing field for all of the athletes who will take part in these Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Their work during and after the Games will have a marked impact in real time and at future major sporting events around the world.” 

The anti-doping program at the Olympic Winter Games will be managed by the International Testing Agency (ITA), on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), while the anti-doping program at the Paralympic Winter Games will be managed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Both programs will be delivered in conjunction with the Anti-Doping Department of the Milano Cortina Organizing Committee and supported by NADO Italia. All samples collected during the Games will be analyzed by the WADA-accredited Laboratorio Antidoping FMSI in Rome. 

The IO team will observe all aspects of the Games’ anti-doping programs, including:    

• Test distribution planning and implementation;    
• Recruitment and training of sample collection personnel;    
• Athlete selection, notification and sample collection procedures;    
• Transport and chain of custody of samples;    
• Therapeutic Use Exemption procedures;   
• Results management; and  
• Laboratory operations (for Olympics only).   

The IO team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games consists of:  

• Thomas Capdevielle (France), Head of Testing and Compliance, Athletics Integrity Unit (Chair); 
• Ilaria Baudo (Italy), Senior Manager, Testing, WADA (Vice-Chair); 
• Osquel Barroso (Italy/Cuba), Senior Associate Director, Laboratories, WADA (Laboratory Expert); 
• Iman Gomaa (Egypt), Chief Executive Officer, Egyptian Anti-Doping Organization;  
• Justin Lessard (Canada/Switzerland), Senior Manager Integrity Unit, World Aquatics; and 
• Radka Zapletalova (Czechia), Medical and Anti-Doping Manager, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne. 

WADA will run a similar IO program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The IO team for the Paralympic Winter Games consists of:  

• Prof. Dr. Milica Vukasinovic-Vesic (Serbia), Director, Anti-Doping Agency of Serbia (Chair); 
• George Tsamis (Greece), Head of Innovation, Testing, WADA (Vice-Chair and Team Manager); 
• Richard Perot (France), Vice-President Para Badminton, Badminton World Federation and former Chair of the Para Badminton Athletes’ Commission; and 
• Dr. Sasha Sutherland (Barbados), Executive Director, Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization. 

In addition, two members of WADA’s Athlete Engagement team will also assist the IO team in gathering athlete feedback during the Games. Elisabeth Vathje, a former Canadian skeleton athlete, will assist the IO program during the first half of the Games in Cortina, while Toby Cunliffe-Steel, a former rower from New Zealand, will be on hand for the second half in Milan. Both are members of WADA’s Athlete Council, and their contributions the final IO report, along with their role on the Athlete Engagement team, will be invaluable. 

More about WADA’s Milano Cortina 2026 preparations  

WADA has been collaborating with its partners to ensure athletes are well informed and prepared for Milano Cortina 2026.   

In May 2025, WADA announced the launch of an education course for athletes and coaches aiming to attend Milano Cortina 2026, on its Anti-Doping Education and Learning Platform (ADEL), called ‘ADEL for Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026’. The course was developed by WADA in collaboration with the IOC and ITA.  

In July 2025, WADA launched an education course for athletes, their guides (for visually impaired athletes), and coaches aiming to attend the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games on ADEL. ‘ADEL for Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games’ was developed by WADA in collaboration with the IPC.   

The courses illustrate the organizations’ ongoing commitment to working together to educate and support athletes and their coaches in the lead up to the Games, a principle that is reinforced by WADA’s International Standard for Education (ISE).    

WADA is supporting the work of the Pre-Games anti-doping program for Milano Cortina 2026 that is being coordinated by the ITA, which began mid-2025 and formally launched in October 2025.  The Agency is also supporting the IPC’s Milano Cortina 2026 Anti-Doping Taskforce, which aims to assist Anti-Doping Organizations in implementing and coordinating effective testing programs on athletes that are likely to participate in the Paralympic Winter Games.  

In the coming weeks, WADA will also be sending a reminder to anti-doping organizations regarding the importance of ensuring athletes are target tested in the months leading up to the Games; ensuring that Doping Control Forms are promptly entered into the Anti-Doping Administration & Management System [ADAMS]; and prioritizing sample analysis and outstanding results management cases prior to the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.