Upholding clean sport for British athletes at Milano Cortina 2026

Olympic Games
Paralympic Games
  • Over 350 tests were carried out on long-listed British athletes by UKAD and the International Federations (IFs), with two thirds of these tests conducted by UKAD.
  • The UK’s only World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited sports testing laboratory, the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London, led the analysis of samples collected by UKAD.
  • All Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes and athlete support personnel completed comprehensive anti-doping education under the UK Clean Games Policy ahead of Milano Cortina 2026 

Clean athletes are genuine role models, and protecting the integrity of competition ensures that their performances — and the athletes young people look up to — reflect true talent, dedication and hard work.  

UKAD's Milan Cortina 2026 pre-Games testing programme began 12 months before the Games. The comprehensive programme was intelligence-led and risk based, whilst tracking athletes through the key stages of their preparations. Over 350 tests were carried out on long-listed athletes by UKAD and the International Federations (IFs), with two thirds of these conducted by UKAD. Of those athletes who made the final GB squads, nearly 200 samples were collected across 78 athletes in 11 different countries, in collaboration with international federations.  

Analysis of the collected samples was led by the Drug Control Centre (DCC) at King’s College London, the UK’s only WADA accredited laboratory. Athletes received their results before travelling to the Games, reinforcing the UK’s proactive stance on clean sport. 

All athletes and athlete support personnel — including coaches, medical staff and performance directors — completed comprehensive anti-doping education ahead of the event, including values-based learning on an athlete's rights and responsibilities, the testing process, whereabouts requirements, whistleblowing, medication and supplement risks.  

Under the UK Clean Games Policy, renewed and relaunched in November 2025, UKAD works alongside the British Olympic Association (BOA), British Paralympic Association (BPA) and the Commonwealth Games Associations for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to embed clean sport education into athlete preparations for major international events, such as the Commonwealth Games this summer, up to and including LA 2028. 

Jane Rumble, UKAD Chief Executive, said: 

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games inspire millions of people — especially young people — to believe in the power of sport. Our role at UKAD is to protect that inspiration by ensuring British athletes compete cleanly, so that every performance on the world stage reflects genuine talent and effort. 

Professor Kim Wolff, Head of the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London, said:  

“Delivering this initiative is both a privilege and a serious responsibility. It reflects our investment in cutting-edge analytical capability, and our unwavering commitment to fair competition. Through scientific excellence and operational precision, we stand alongside athletes in upholding the integrity of sport at its highest level.” 

Jane Rumble, added: “Congratulations to every British athlete who competed at Milano Cortina, and thank you for your commitment to clean sport.” 

Notes to Editors  

The International Testing Agency (ITA) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) manage the in-Games testing programmes for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games respectively. UKAD's role within the global anti-doping movement is to ensure there is a thorough and robust programme of testing and education for British athletes prior to the commencement of these programmes.  

Seventeen UKAD Doping Control Personnel (DCP) were assigned to the international doping control programme at Milano Cortina, with two further UKAD colleagues contributing to the Command Centre for testing and results management at the Games. 

The Drug Control Centre is a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory. It is part of King’s Forensics, which is an academic grouping within the Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Science, Faculty of Life Science & Medicine at King’s College London.