The World Anti-Doping Agency Was Created After the Festina Scandal

The 1998 Festina doping scandal was so shocking that it forced the sports world to take meaningful action. In November 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland, as an independent international body. WADA was created through a partnership between the International Olympic Committee and national governments to coordinate the fight against doping in sports. The agency maintains the Prohibited List, which is updated annually and specifies which substances and methods are banned. WADA also accredits laboratories that conduct drug testing and coordinates testing programs for major sporting events. While doping remains a problem, WADA creation represented the first serious global attempt to level the playing field and protect clean athletes.