WADA’s Operation Obsidian reveals sample substitution in Georgian rugby and breaches by Georgian Anti-Doping Agency

A major joint-investigation between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and World Rugby has resulted in anti-doping rule violations (ARDVs) being confirmed against six players and one member of the athlete support personnel from the Georgia national rugby union team, and a loss of confidence by WADA in the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (GADA) due to a number of breaches of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).

Launched in 2023, Operation Obsidian investigated claims that players were engaging in sample substitution in blatant contravention of the rules. Sample substitution is a prohibited method, outlawed under Code Article 2.2. The investigation, whose report is published today, reveals five instances where sample substitution occurred, also finding that advance notice of testing was being given to players from the Georgia national rugby union team by employees of GADA. It also determined that doping control officers were not observing athletes notified for doping control and not witnessing urine passing, which are clear non-conformities under the rules.

WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “What has been happening in Georgian rugby is outrageous and will send shockwaves through Georgian sport and government, as well as the global game of rugby. I want to thank WADA’s independent Intelligence & Investigations team for their diligence and expertise in relentlessly pursuing this operation with determination and professionalism. I also praise World Rugby’s commitment to uncovering the facts and its willingness to work collaboratively with WADA to deliver this strong result for rugby.

“This is not the end of the story as further investigation is now going on deeper into Georgian sport. WADA has brought Operation Obsidian’s findings to the attention of the Government of Georgia to address the issues in the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency. As the next steps are being considered, clearly, WADA has lost confidence in GADA’s anti-doping program and wholesale changes must now be made by the relevant authorities.”

Operation Obsidian presented its findings to WADA’s Compliance Taskforce. Given the ongoing risk for the integrity of the anti-doping program in Georgia and depending on the measures adopted by the Georgian government, the Taskforce may consider a fast-track compliance procedure against GADA, as per the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories Article 8.5.1.1.

WADA Director, Intelligence & Investigations, Günter Younger, said: “Operation Obsidian highlights the complex nature of sample substitution cases, from the legal, investigative, scientific, and forensic points of view, which require extensive expertise to successfully reveal and corroborate. Substantial investigative powers are essential to address this type of ADRV properly and effectively.

“I thank our colleagues from World Rugby. Significant financial and human resources were dedicated to investigating these cases, including through the collection of reference samples, the transfer of samples to specific laboratories, and the conducting of numerous further analyses. World Rugby’s long-term storage program proved instrumental in substantiating the overall investigations. This case clearly demonstrates the critical importance of storing samples over time.”

By way of follow-up, WADA has extracted samples collected from athletes of other sports in Georgia. An expert review of the Athlete Biological Passports related to these samples is now underway. If samples are flagged as suspicious for sample substitution, Operation Obsidian will inform the relevant Anti-Doping Organizations and guide them through the DNA analysis and comparison process. To that end, WADA is developing a dedicated guideline to investigate cases of sample substitution. It should be noted that, in 2020, WADA published its findings from Operation Arrow, a covert investigation into the practice of urine substitution at the point of collection in the sport of weightlifting, which developed a new method of detecting the prohibited practice.