The World Anti-Doping Agency has agreed to only use athletes’ highly sensitive personal information for “anti-doping purposes,” Canada’s privacy commissioner announced Tuesday, resolving a years-long investigation into the organization’s data sharing practices.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said in an announcement that the World Anti-Doping Agency had committed to a series of measures that may help ensure international sport federations and anti-doping organizations don’t use information collected from athletes for every other purpose.
“The World Anti-Doping Agency is entrusted with safeguarding the highly sensitive personal information of 1000’s of athletes from across the globe,” privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said.
“I welcome WADA’s commitment to take steps to assist be sure that this information is simply used for the needs for which it was collected.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency told Global News in an announcement that it was “pleased” to enter the compliance agreement and resolve the investigation.
“WADA takes the privacy of athletes’ data very seriously and has at all times 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 any contravention of privacy rules in Canada or elsewhere, however it is committed to working with regulators to handle evolving privacy best practices.”
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Dufresne launched an investigation in November 2024 after receiving a grievance that alleged the World Anti-Doping Agency had disclosed biological sample information to international sporting federations, which was using the knowledge to evaluate athletes’ sex-based eligibility without their knowledge or consent.
Such actions, if proven, would violate Canadian privacy law, which the Montreal-based agency became subject to in 2015.
The compliance agreement, which is signed by the agency’s director general and president, says the World Anti-Doping Agency has disputed the allegations in addition to Dufresne’s jurisdiction over the investigation.
“WADA is ready to enter into this agreement to resolve the commissioner’s investigation, but WADA doesn’t admit any contravention” of PIPEDA, the agreement says.
The commitment comes shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Olympic Games in Italy but with the FIFA World Cup just three months away from kicking off in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Under the terms of the agreement, the agency will update the World Anti-Doping Code by Jan. 1, 2027, to specify that athlete information collected for its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System must only be used for anti-doping purposes.
It must communicate that statute to anti-doping organizations inside one month of the signing of the agreement, and update the privacy commissioner on the mechanism it’s going to use to make sure those organizations are compliant 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’re fully in place.
Dufresne retains the appropriate to use for a court order forcing the agency to comply if he believes the measures set out within the agreement haven’t been accomplished.
“WADA’s decision to enter into this agreement doesn’t constitute acceptance of the OPC’s jurisdiction over the matters addressed on this process, and WADA expressly reserves its rights in that regard,” the agency’s spokesperson told Global News.
“Nonetheless, WADA is fully committed to satisfying all obligations inside this compliance agreement.”
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