The World Anti-Doping Agency -WADA- confirmed that, with immediate effect, the National Anti-Doping Organization of Sri Lanka -NADO- has breached the World Anti-Doping Code. The decision follows a months-long process in which the legal framework of the Sri Lankan body was assessed.
At its meeting on 27 March 2025, the WADA Executive Committee -ExCo- endorsed the recommendation of the Compliance Review Committee -CRC-, the agency’s independent body, to place Sri Lanka’s NADO on the ‘watchlist’. This decision granted the organization an additional four months to implement a corrective action plan.
Failure to adopt legal reforms leads to non-compliance
According to WADA, the inclusion on the ‘watchlist’ stemmed from a review of the national legal framework. However, by 29 July 2025, at the end of the given period, the required legal amendments had still not been adopted.
On 28 July 2025, the agency issued a formal notice of non-compliance to Sri Lanka’s NADO. “The organization did not contest the allegation, the proposed consequences, or the conditions for eventual reinstatement within the 21-day deadline,” WADA explained.
Consequences and reinstatement conditions
Under Article 9.3.1 of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories -ISCCS-, the non-compliance was deemed admitted and the sanctions accepted. As a result, the notice issued on 28 July constitutes a final and immediately enforceable decision.
The consequences, approved by the ExCo and recommended by the CRC, apply under Article 24 of the World Anti-Doping Code, Article 10 of the ISCCS, and Annex B of the ISCCS. In addition, a note will be sent to other Code Signatories to facilitate the implementation of measures regarding Sri Lanka’s NADO.
Other signatories currently non-compliant
At present, three other signatories are also in breach of the Code. These are the Russian Anti-Doping Agency -RUSADA-, the International Federation of Basque Pelota -FIPV-, and the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation -IFBB-.
Full information on these organizations, as well as the consequences applied in each case, is available on WADA’s official website under the section ‘Global list of non-compliant signatories and applicable consequences’.
