WADA removes the Olympic Council of Asia from the World Anti-Doping Code non-compliant list

Following a circulatory vote of its Executive Committee (ExCo), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has removed, with immediate effect, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) from the list of Signatories that are non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). 

The OCA was declared non-compliant on 8 December 2023 due to failure to implement an October 2021 decision by WADA’s ExCo. As a result, the OCA was required to pay a fine in the amount of USD 500,000, in accordance with Code Article 24, as well as Article 10 and Annex B of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS). 

On 25 December 2023, the OCA informed WADA that the payment of the fine had been processed. WADA subsequently confirmed that the payment had been received. 

On 9 January 2024, WADA’s Compliance Review Committee (CRC) agreed with WADA Management that the condition of reinstatement had been fulfilled. Therefore, in line with Article 11.3.4 of the ISCCS, the CRC recommended to the ExCo that the OCA be reinstated. 

There are currently two non-compliant Code Signatories, namely the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. For more information on these Code Signatories and their respective consequences, please visit the ‘Global list of non-compliant signatories and applicable consequences’ page of WADA’s website.