Having reviewed the Sports Anti-Doping Rules (2024), the Board of the Sport Integrity Commission (Commission) has made the Sports Anti-Doping Rules 2025 (Rules) in order to implement the amendments to the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and International Standards and Technical Documents.
The Commission has made these Rules under section 23 of the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2023 (“Act”). The Code seeks to protect the fundamental rights of Athletes to participate in doping-free sport, and thus to promote health, fairness and equality for Athletes worldwide, and to bring about the harmonisation of anti-doping programs and the core anti-doping elements across Signatories to the Code. It is intended that National Sporting Organisations will agree to the Rules so that the Rules apply to their Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel or other Persons (including board members, directors, officers, and specified employees of Signatories, and Delegated Third Parties and their employees) as a condition of participation or involvement in sport.1
The Code and the Rules are reflected in the Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act, which aims to ensure that Athlete rights within anti-doping are clearly set out, accessible, and universally applicable. The Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act is available on the WADA website and the Commission’s website for access at any time.
The Commission is an independent Crown entity continued under the Act and is the National Anti-Doping Organisation responsible for implementing the Code in New Zealand, as provided in Article 20.5 of the Code and section 13 of the Act.
While all provisions of the Code are mandatory in substance, the Code requires certain Articles to be implemented without substantive change by Signatories to the Code because of their central place in harmonising anti-doping measures. The provisions which have to be implemented without substantive change in these Rules are: Article 1 (Definition of Doping), Article 2 (Anti-Doping Rule Violations), Article 3 (Proof of Doping), Article 4.2.2 (Specified Substances or Specified Methods), Article 4.2.3 (Substances of Abuse), Article 4.3.3 (WADA’s Determination of the Prohibited List), Article 7.7 (Retirement from Sport), Article 9 (Automatic Disqualification of Individual Results), Article 10 (Sanctions on Individuals), Article 11 (Consequences to Teams), Article 13 (Appeals) (with the exception of Article 13.2.2, Article 13.6, and Article 13.7), Article 15.1 (Automatic Binding Effect of Decisions), Article 17 (Statute of Limitations), Article 26 (Interpretation of the Code) and Appendix 1 (Definitions), together with the corresponding comments from the Code. The Rules also provide for the application of International Standards established by WADA, in particular the Prohibited List, the International Standard for Testing and Investigations (and applicable WADA Guidelines for Sample Collection), the International Standard for Laboratories, the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions, the International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information, International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories, the International Standard for Results Management, and the International Standard for Education.
The Sports Tribunal and any NSO Anti-Doping Tribunal established by a National Sporting Organisation to hear Violation Proceedings will function under the Rules when hearing Violation Proceedings.
It is intended that National Sporting Organisations will agree to the Rules as their Anti-Doping Rules in order to implement the Code. By agreeing to the application of the Rules, National Sporting Organisations will agree that the Commission and the Sports Tribunal (or any NSO Anti-Doping Tribunal) can exercise all the functions and powers in the Act and the Rules.
National Sporting Organisations that agree to the Rules will do so on the basis that they agree to the application of the Rules as amended from time to time. In accordance with its obligations under the Act, the Commission will provide National Sporting Organisations, Athletes, the Sports Tribunal, Māori and the Privacy Commissioner a reasonable opportunity to comment before amending the Rules.
As provided in the Code, the Commission will be responsible for conducting all aspects of Doping Control. Any aspect of Doping Control or anti-doping Education may be delegated by the Commission to Delegated Third Parties, however, the Commission will require the Delegated Third Parties to perform such aspects in compliance with the Code and International Standards, and the Commission will remain fully responsible for ensuring that any delegated aspects are performed in compliance with the Code.
The Commission will collect Samples or Specimens to test for the presence of substances or methods that are prohibited under the WADA Prohibited List. Samples will be collected in accordance with the International Standard for Testing and Investigations and applicable WADA Guidelines for the Collection of Blood and Urine Samples. The Commission will also carry out investigations in relation to anti-doping rule violations under Rules 2.2 to 2.11. National Sporting Organisations will promptly refer all information relating to possible anti-doping rule violations to the Commission. The Commission will review information obtained in any investigation and decide whether the information supports the bringing of Violation Proceedings. The Commission will bring Violation Proceedings and present the evidence in support of the proceedings before either the Sports Tribunal or an NSO Anti-Doping Tribunal. Subject to its various obligations to notify and promptly report and present evidence under the Rules, and to certain exceptional circumstances, the process of investigating and hearing Violation Proceedings will be treated as a confidential process by the Commission and all National Sporting Organisations and Persons subject to the Rules until a decision has been made in relation to the alleged Violation.
The terms in italics in this introduction and in the Rules are defined as set out in the Definitions section at the end of the Rules. Comments in these Rules are intended to be explanatory rather than intended to have legislative effect.
Fundamental rationale for the Code and these Rules
Anti-doping programs are founded on the intrinsic value of sport. This intrinsic value is often referred to as "the spirit of sport": the ethical pursuit of human excellence through the dedicated perfection of each Athlete’s natural talents.
Anti-doping programs seek to protect the health of Athletes and to provide the opportunity for Athletes to pursue human excellence without the Use of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods.
Anti-doping programs seek to maintain the integrity of sport in terms of respect for rules, other competitors, fair competition, a level playing field, and the value of clean sport to the world.
The spirit of sport is the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind. It is the essence of Olympism and is reflected in the values we find in and through sport, including:
The spirit of sport is expressed in how we play true.
Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport.
