PTO and World Triathlon announce new anti-doping measures

There hadn’t been many high profile doping cases in triathlon and the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) had only delivered a handful of races, so when its US Open champion Collin Chartier was caught for the blood-boosting drug EPO it sent shockwaves through the sport.

Chartier maintains he was clean when he won in Dallas in 2022, but having been caught six months later, suspicion will forever linger over the biggest win of his career.

The bust also came from Ironman’s intelligence and investigations, which threw a wider spotlight on anti-doping in triathlon and suggested that while Ironman was being proactive in trying to catch cheats, the up and coming PTO didn’t have measures in place.

Still no sign

Roll forward to the end of April, two events into the $7m T100 tour, and eight of the 40 contracted athletes were not in any registered testing pools (RTPs) – plus at least 10 more when you include T100 wildcard athletes. 

Matters were made worse considering two of the four winners to date, India Lee (Miami T100) and Youri Keulen (Singapore T100), were not in RTPs.

There’s no suggestion at all that either athlete has taken performance enhancing substances. In fact, they’ve been caught in crossfire because neither had any control over whether they were included in RTPs. Keulen says he’s been asking for more than a year to be added to a RTP.

This information was publicly available but credit is due to podcast Pro Tri News who crunched the numbers.

The PTO and World Triathlon seek a solution

Now, it seems that the PTO and World Triathlon are ready to provide a solution. The big news is that the two organisations will get behind a growing, global RTP that will now include all contracted athletes taking part in the T100 series.

Furthermore, wildcard athletes will also join this RTP, but only after they’ve taken part in three T100 events.

When athletes are in an RTP, they’re required to digitally complete their “whereabouts” for an hour each day so that a tester can turn up in this window.

It’s the preferred method for collecting out-of-competition samples that are thought of as the most effective way to catch cheats unawares. 

The measures, which took effect as of 7 May 2024, will be delivered by the International Testing Agency (ITA) in conjunction with National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs).

As a result, the ITA will look after both in-competition testing and out-of-competition testing.

All PTO members will also be included in a full anti-doping education program, which will be delivered by World Triathlon. It will cover topics such as RTP procedure and ‘whereabouts’.

Integrity in triathlon

Speaking about the announcement, World Triathlon president Marisol Casado said: “Since the partnership was announced last August, our focus for World Triathlon and PTO has been on implementing comprehensive and effective strategies to uphold the integrity of our sport.

“One of the key initiatives driving this progress is the establishment of a unified, global registered testing pool for all triathlon athletes, no matter the type of race they compete at.

“While this process has required time and careful consideration, it is a strategic move towards greater efficiency and transparency…

“All the athletes are frequently transitioning between different distances within the sport, and it is key for all of us to prevent overlap and duplication within the RTP.

“And we are not only talking about the PTO, we would love all other triathlon organisers and organisations, to join us in this vital endeavour, fostering a collaborative approach to anti-doping efforts.”

Part of this article came from Tim Heming’s column in issue 430 of 220 Triathlon, which goes on sale on 17 May. At the time of going to print, the PTO hadn’t yet announced these anti-doping measures.