Brisbane 2032: Qld to become anti-doping capital of Oceania
The University of Queensland has been chosen to host the International Testing Agency’s first Oceania Academic Centre to train the next generation of anti-doping experts ahead of the 2032 Games.
The University of Queensland has been chosen to host the International Testing Agency’s first Oceania Academic Centre to train the next generation of anti-doping experts ahead of the 2032 Games.
Under the new partnership, UQ students, staff and alumni will gain access to the ITA’s full suite of international anti-doping training and certification programs to produce doping control officers, blood collection officers, chaperones and clean sport educators.
Researchers and higher degree students will also be able to access ITA’s extensive database for health-related research projects.
The ITA independently manages several international sporting events and is the official anti-doping body for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
ITA Chair of the Foundation Board Dr Valérie Fourneyron said the UQ partnership would help the ITA advance its anti-doping work “enormously”.
“Education and workforce training are essential for the preventive fight against doping,” she said.
“UQ brings an international reputation in sport education and research that will help advance the anti-doping work of the ITA enormously.
“Together we will strengthen the future of anti-doping education, training and applied research while laying the foundation for a strong clean sport legacy around the Brisbane 2032 Games.”
UQ’s executive director of 2032 Games Engagement, Professor Bruce Abernethy, said six programs would progressively launch from 2026, with options for UQ research staff to undertake placements at ITA headquarters.
“It’s a good marriage of ITA’s enormous database and the university’s expertise in pharmacology and public health,” he said.
“We will be using largely their programs but on the research side it’s leaning on the universities comprehensive skill set to look at things like the prevalence of medication and supplement use in elite athletes.
“We also are advanced in environmental toxicology and being able to measure wastewater to provide informations on the prevalence of prohibited substances.”
UQ, ranked first in Australia and second globally for sports-science subjects for five consecutive years, joins Shanghai University of Sport as the second ITA Academic Centre worldwide.
ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen said the new Queensland academic centre would allow the ITA to expand its anti-doping programs globally.
“The ITA and The University of Queensland share a vision that combines scientific expertise, operational excellence and a commitment to clean sport and athletes worldwide,” he said.
“We are dedicated to joining forces on applied research initiatives that can have a direct impact on the delivery of anti-doping programs globally and in doing so we aim to leverage the network of existing and future ITA Academic Centres.”
Originally published as Brisbane 2032: Qld to become anti-doping capital of Oceania
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