Testing levels rise across summer months: UK Anti-Doping’s latest testing report

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) stepped up its intelligence-led testing during the summer months, conducting 2,417 tests between July and September 2025 – a 21% increase on the last quarter, and 11% increase on the same period last year.  

The Quarter 2 figures (July to September 2025) show 73% of all tests were conducted out-of-competition, targeting athletes during training periods when the risks of using performance-enhancing substances are higher. 

Testing activity increased across the UK's busy summer competition schedule, while UKAD also focused on athletes preparing for major international events including Milano Cortina 2026. 

Football was the most tested sport with 621 tests (The FA), followed by rugby union (327 across three home nations), athletics (223), cricket (179), rugby league (160) and cycling (143). 

Hamish Coffey, Director of Operations at UKAD, said: 

“The summer has been a busy period for UKAD’s testing programme. We’ve delivered comprehensive testing across major UK summer events including the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and throughout the pre-seasons for team sports. 

“As we look ahead to Major Events in 2026, including Milano Cortina and Glasgow 2026, we remain committed to our intelligence-led, risk-based approach, protecting clean athletes and maintaining the integrity of sport.” 

UKAD reported six Anti-Doping Rule Violations and six Whereabouts Failures during the quarter. In the first half of 2025/2026, UKAD has completed 4,408 tests across its testing programme on more than 30 sports. 

UKAD’s latest testing report (Q2 July – Sept) is available online.