Partnership For Clean Competition

Remote sampling has potential to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of anti-doping testing programs. However, for remote sampling systems to be adopted, athletes, doping control officers (DCOs), and other key stakeholders must perceive these solutions to be legitimate, trustworthy, and effective.

The PCC was pleased to provide funding to support this research examining how athletes and DCOs perceive remote sampling in anti-doping. Authors share actionable recommendations for anti-doping organizations to pilot new remote sampling protocols.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2026.1825926/full

The grant for this work was awarded to Prof. Dr. Daniel Westmattelmann, and you can learn more about his research and career in our recent podcast interview:

http://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/164

The next PCC Research Grant and Fellowship pre-application deadline is just around the corner on August 1st.

We have some exciting PCC-funded research projects underway.
Visit our website to see our in-process and completed grants, and to learn more about what the top anti-doping scientists in the world are working on.

Funded projects here:

Funded Projects - PCC - Global Anti-Doping Research Grants for Scientists and Researchers Funded Projects The PCC has supported world-class research since 2008, investing more than $38 M to drive novel science. Research and grant-making are the foundation of the PCC and are the focus of everyday business activity. PCC-supported research contributes to a movement in addressing doping’s ...

Athlete Support Personnel (ASP), including coaches, trainers, managers, medical staff, and family members, play a central role in athletes' lives. They can have major impacts on the behaviors athletes engage in and the decisions they make. This recent review examined research to date on the role of ASP in anti-doping. Studies show that different types of ASP play a role in influencing different doping-related behaviors, and the authors suggest a need for stronger role-specific anti-doping education.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13164397/

In our latest podcast episode, we talked with Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Brett Clothier, about what AIU is doing to raise the bar when it comes to doping detection. Brett shared some of AIU’s goals as well as what challenges they are working to overcome, and how the organization collaborates with partners, brands, and other stakeholders to prevent and catch doping in athletics.

Listen to the episode here:
https://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/176

Enhancing the detection of endogenous anabolic–androgenic steroid abuse by athletes has been an ongoing process in the anti-doping community.

Notably, variations in the number of copies of the UGT2B17 gene can be a confounding factor. This review article examines recent progress in the field and proposes potential strategies and a decision-making framework to address the impact of genetic polymorphisms on doping detection.

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.70094

The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is a valuable tool for indirect doping detection because of its ability to spot irregularities over time that may not be apparent in a single anti-doping test. Monitoring substances that occur naturally within the body is complex, and former PCC Fellow Dr. Sara Solheim is working to identify and address confounding factors in ABP analysis and interpretation. For more details on her research, listen to our interview with her in our recent podcast episode linked below.

Listen here:
https://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/175

Our Fellowship and Research Grant pre-application deadline is quickly approaching. Don't forget to submit your proposal by August 1 using the link below. PCC grant applications are now hosted on Altum. Visit our website for help accessing or creating your profile.

Submit your application here: https://proposalcentral.com/default.asp

Blood doping using erythropoietin (EPO), transfusions, or other prohibited approaches to increase the number of red blood cells can enhance performance by increasing the amount of oxygen delivered to muscles. However, the creation of more blood vessels (angiogenesis) could also impact performance, and further research is needed to investigate the potential health risks of these approaches, whether they do improve performance, and how anti-doping labs can best detect use of angiogenesis-stimulating agents.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02447-y

Research and innovation are at the center of improving anti-doping practices, but how can organizations continue to adapt to the ever-changing anti-doping landscape? In our recent podcast episode, we talked with the Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Brett Clothier, about how the AIU is doing its part to protect clean sport. Brett shared how the AIU partners with its stakeholders to move the needle in anti-doping, as well as what measures are taken ahead of and during major events to ensure a fair field of competition.

Listen to the full episode here:
http://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/176

176 – Protecting the Podium and Building Trust in Athletics Through Anti-Doping Efforts – Brett Clothier Brett Clothier is Head of Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), and in this episode, he shares more about his career in sport integrity and the work that he and the team at AIU are doing to help protect clean sport. We discuss some of the biggest challenges the sport of athletics (track and field) is

A recent study examined the urinary and plasma excretion profiles of the glucocorticoid deflazacort (DEF) and its metabolites after one oral administration. Oral administration is prohibited in-competition. Authors identified the metabolite 21-desacetyl-deflazacort (DES) as the best marker for detection in urine. Their results also support WADA's minimum reporting level of 30 ng/mL and the recommended 3-day washout period.

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.70093