The International Testing Agency (ITA) will continue to strengthen its impact, forge new partnerships and increase its quality and efficiency after completing its first full Olympic cycle. The organisation will pursue six key objectives set out in a new Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2026 to increase its contribution to clean sport worldwide and address remaining challenges.
More than four years after its operational start as the world’s first independent international organisation delivering comprehensive anti-doping programs for international sport, the ITA is launching a Strategic Plan to guide the agency through its second Olympic cycle. True to its mission to earn the trust, respect and loyalty from the sports and anti-doping community, the ITA will continue to work tirelessly to deliver high quality clean sport programs through a collaborative, professional and innovative approach. To help maximise its impact for clean sport, the ITA has defined six core objectives that it will focus on in the period 2023-2026.
These objectives will guide the organisation through the next phase of its development as it completes its initial operational stage and enters a period of consolidation and further professionalisation through efficiency and innovation. They highlight focus areas such as collaboration, quality management, building and sustaining expertise, scaling and improving efficiency, financial sustainability and further positioning the ITA as a global leader in the delivery of sport anti-doping programs. All these goals are intended to support the continued development of the ITA, but also to benefit the clean sport movement, the athletes and community at large. Each objective will entail concrete initiatives that will be tackled by the ITA team in the next four years.
Keeping Sport Real Today and Tomorrow
The new ITA Strategic Plan was elaborated throughout 2022 by the organisation’s Senior Management who identified pain points, weaknesses and threats as well as success factors, strengths and opportunities and outlined the focus areas for the next four years. As part of this work, the Chair and members of the ITA Foundation Board provided valuable input to the strategic objectives. The Strategic Plan was finalised with a commitment to solicit and include feedback from a broad variety of stakeholders from the anti-doping and sports communities; such as athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Sport Federations and their umbrella associations as well as National and Regional Anti-Doping Organisations. Inspired by the ITA’s official slogan it aims to inspire everyone contributing to the execution of the plan to continue “Keeping Sport Real Today and Tomorrow”.
« Looking back over the past four years since the founding of the ITA, I can say with confidence that I am impressed by what our team has been able to achieve in such a short time with the support of many key stakeholders, » says ITA Foundation Board Chair Dr Valérie Fourneyron. « The ITA, with dedication and focus on quality performance, has succeeded in gaining the trust of the sport community and proving that independence and expertise in the field of clean sport are of utmost importance. We have managed to convince many stakeholders of the benefits of partnering or collaborating with the ITA. However, the first years of our existence have also shown that there is still a lot to be achieved – in terms of further advocacy for independent anti-doping programs, further positioning of the ITA, further development into an organisation that contributes greatly to the promotion of clean sport around the world. The ITA Strategic Plan 2023-2026 addresses these challenges while aiming to build on the organisation’s strengths. The Board that I have the honour to chair and myself are very much looking forward to supporting the ITA’s operational team in implementing this ambitious plan in the coming years. »
ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen: « This new ITA Strategic Plan will serve as a compass for me and the ITA team over the next four years. So far, we have achieved more than we set out to do since the inception of our organisation. More than 60 sports organisations have decided to believe in our common cause of providing athletes with clean sport programs that they can fully trust. We have conducted two successful anti-doping missions for the Olympic Games. We have established collaborations with dozens of relevant stakeholders. We have been able to gather almost 100 motivated anti-doping experts under our roof. We have invested a lot of effort in innovation, prevention, education and a business model that combines quality with efficiency. But this is only the beginning of our journey. There is still much to achieve, and the next phase of our development aims to cement the long-term future of the ITA. We are here to serve the athletes and the anti-doping community at large by upholding the values that make sport such an important part of society: Fair Play, Integrity and Respect. My team and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and make sure we keep working toward this mission and never stop improving. »
