Key time for testers as Winter Olympics approach, says WADA chief

VIDEO SHOWS: INTERVIEW WITH WADA (WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY) CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER / VISUALS FROM WADA  PRESS CONFERENCE RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SHOTLIST. SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1.  (SOUNDBITE) (English) WADA CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER, ON KEY TIME to keep the dopers out AHEAD OF MILANO CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS, SAYING: “So for I&I (Intelligence and Investigations), for intelligence investigations, the most important time is before the games, because everyone knows that during the games they get tested. So therefore, it's very likely that, let's say, the smart dopers, they would stop at one stage before the games so that they are clean when they get tested. So for us now, it's the most important time. So this is where especially our colleagues from the anti-doping organization that are responsible for their respective sport, they will look very carefully at information that comes towards athletes that might attend.” 2.  WHITE FLASH “And if we get anything from our whistleblowers, from our colleagues, then of course we follow up respectively. But from an I&I point-of-view, it's really the part before the games, because every doper who is intelligent knows that he gets tested, so every doper would stop at one stage. So therefore, now it's the best time to check them, and I'm sure that our colleagues test those that are suspicious more frequently than others.” 3. WHITE FLASH 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WADA CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER WHEN ASKED ABOUT ON GENE DOPING, SAYING: “So we see a slight increase. But we have a constant increase throughout the year, so it's not very specific. But if there is something that is related to the games, then of course we are more alerted and we prioritize them more and we are in contact with the respective sports federation.” 5.  WHITE FLASH 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WADA CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER ON WHISTLE BLOWERS, SAYING: “In this respect, it's good that we are independent, so we will look into the case in order to understand what happened. And then if there is anything that we could initiate to strengthen the overall process, we will do (so). But I guarantee we will do nothing in order to endanger a whistleblower, because that's our main goal for all we work with.” 7. WHITE FLASH 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WADA CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER ON WADA TARGETING SUPPLY CHAINS IN COORDINATION WITH POLICE, SAYING: “Every elite athlete was an amateur at one stage. So we see when they already are on that level, And we learned about muscle memory, so that someone who was doping in the early ages, that the muscle might remember when they're older, shows to me that we need to start earlier in order to enhance the threshold that athletes are doping. So by doing that, we can exactly with law enforcement, we can tackle those and make the availability of PEDs less and therefore more complicated. And more the fear, let's say, that they might be subject to a police investigation.” 9. WHITE FLASH  “But we have already cases where they came back, and actually we saw on the customer list some names that are very familiar to us.” 10. VARIOUS OF WADA CHIEF GUENTER YOUNGER  SPEAKING DURING MEDIA BRIEFING IN LONDON  11. AUDIENCE WATCHING 12. VARIOUS OF YOUNGER SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE 11. WADA DIRECTOR GENERAL OLIVIER NIGGLI, WITOLD BANKA (SECOND FROM LEFT), PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY AMONG OTHERS AT MEDIA BRIEFING 12. GUENTER YOUNGER  SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE STORY:  The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are still three months away but now is a key time in the battle to keep the dopers out, WADA director of intelligence and investigations Guenter Younger said on Thursday (October 30). The Games in Italy run from February 6-22, with many winter sports yet to get going. "Every doper who is intelligent knows that he gets tested (at the Games), so every doper would stop at one stage (before then)," the German told Reuters at a World Anti-Doping Agency media briefing. "So therefore now it's the best time to check them, and I'm sure that our colleagues test those that are suspicious more frequently than others. "For us now it's the most important time."  Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, the big doping story from the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021. Younger said whistleblowers remained a key element of the battle but there was no notable increase in the number of people getting in touch before an Olympics. "If there is something related to the Games, then of course we are more alerted and we prioritise them more and we are in contact with the respective sports federation," he added. "We need the guidance, to find the needle in the haystack. It's always complicated if you don't know where to look. If you know where to look it's much easier." Younger also confirmed that WADA was looking into a leak about the investigation into 23 Chinese swimmers cleared of doping ahead of the Tokyo Games that took place in 2021 but denied "chasing the whistleblower". He said 'Operation Puncture' had been set up to understand what happened, the motivation for leaking information, and how to strengthen the process. "I guarantee we will do nothing to endanger a whistleblower," he added. WADA is now also targeting supply chains, with the help of Interpol and local law enforcement, by busting illegal laboratories and obtaining customer lists. From there, the names of doctors might emerge with further details of the athletes — even elite ones — treated by them. "Every elite athlete was an amateur at one stage," said Younger. "We have already cases where they (the police) came back and said "actually, we saw on the customer list some names that are very familiar to us." WADA president Witold Banka said the figures were "mind blowing": More than 140 joint operations conducted with law enforcement to date, with 800 million doses of illegal steroids confiscated and 40 tonnes in total with 35 illicit laboratories closed down. (Production: Will Russell, Bhagya Ayyavoo)

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