World Anti-Doping Agency agrees to limit athlete data use, watchdog says
Global News
Canada's privacy commissioner said the agency agreed to measures to ensure international sports bodies only use highly sensitive personal information for anti-doping purposes.
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 a statement that the World Anti-Doping Agency had committed to a series of measures that will help ensure international sport federations and anti-doping organizations do not use information collected from athletes for any other purpose.
“The World Anti-Doping Agency is entrusted with safeguarding the highly sensitive personal information of thousands of athletes from around the globe,” privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said.
“I welcome WADA’s commitment to take steps to help ensure that this information is only used for the purposes for which it was collected.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency told Global News in a statement that it was “pleased” to enter the compliance agreement and resolve the investigation.
“WADA takes the privacy of athletes’ data very seriously and has always 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, but it is committed to working with regulators to address evolving privacy best practices.”
Dufresne launched an investigation in November 2024 after receiving a complaint that alleged the World Anti-Doping Agency had disclosed biological sample information to international sporting federations, which was using the information to assess athletes’ sex-based eligibility without their knowledge or consent.
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