World Aquatics, in partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA), has published the full results of its 2025 anti-doping testing program – a year defined by high volume of sample collection, significant technological innovation and an unwavering commitment to transparency across all aquatic sports.
The 2025 program was built on a clear philosophy that testing should be comprehensive, targeted and credible. Across the full year, the ITA collected 5,345 samples from 1,786 athletes – 51% women and 49% men.
Of those samples, 4,073 were collected out of competition and 1,272 in competition. The emphasis on out-of-competition testing is deliberate, because it is during training cycles away from the scrutiny of competition that doping violations are most likely to occur. This approach reflects the ITA’s intelligence-led and risk-based methodology, which tailors testing to where it will have the greatest deterrent and detection impact.
The program also continued to integrate advanced laboratory techniques that go beyond conventional urine analysis. Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing, blood steroidal analysis and endocrine profiling were all deployed throughout the year – methodologies that expand the range of detectable substances and biological irregularities, and that keep the World Aquatics program at the forefront of anti-doping science.
The World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025 – Clean Sport at the Heart
The World Aquatics Championships in Singapore was the focal point of the 2025 testing effort. In total, more than 4,000 anti-doping tests were conducted on athletes participating in the Championships from 1 January 2025 – an average of two tests per athlete across the entire field. All approved Neutral Athletes were tested at least four times within the 12 months prior to the Championships, with at least one of those tests conducted directly by World Aquatics.
During the days of competition itself, over 600 tests were conducted.
Innovation: Live Performance Profiling
One of the most significant developments of the 2025 program was the first-ever deployment of a live performance profiling tool during a World Aquatics Championships. The system monitored athlete performance data in real time throughout competition, generating science-based risk scores to identify potential outliers.
This allowed ITA testing personnel to make timely, objective and targeted decisions about which athletes to test.
Looking Ahead
The 2025 results represent a strong foundation. The combination of high sample volumes, out-of-competition emphasis, scientific innovation and transparency sets a standard that World Aquatics and the AQIU are committed to maintaining and building on. Full quarterly statistics are available on the AQIU website.
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