On 14 September 2026, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officially approved and recognised the English version of the 2027 National Anti-Doping Code (NADC27) of the National Anti Doping Agency of Germany (NADA Germany). NADA Germany has thus implemented the requirements of the revised World Anti-Doping Code 2027 (WADC2027) in its national regulations in accordance with the rules and has therefore been declared ‘compliant’ by WADA.
A particular focus of the revised regulations is on respect for human rights and on strengthening the rights of athletes. The revised regulations place particular emphasis on fairness and equality of opportunity. Reducing potential conflicts of interest by strengthening the operational independence of National Anti-Doping Organisations is also given greater priority in the regulations. The protection of underage athletes and vulnerable persons is also being extended.
A key innovation of NADC27, within the framework of operational independence, is the transfer of results management and disciplinary proceedings to NADA Germany. All German sports federations have now transferred results management and disciplinary proceedings to NADA Germany or are currently in the process of doing so by 2027.
Another new change is the reform of the testing pools. A new feature is the so-called ‘Basic Pool’ for individual sports, which primarily serves preventive purposes and includes the compulsory annual completion of a NADA Germany e-learning course. The early education of athletes is thus firmly enshrined in the regulations and meets the requirements of the Standard for Doping education. The previous General Test Pool (ATP) will cease to exist from 2027. In addition, there will be two Team Testing Pools in future: the Team Testing Pool International and the Team Testing Pool National.
You can find an overview of the new testing pools in our web seminar: https://www.nada.de/service/mediathek
Finally, the importance of the Intelligence and Investigations function is emphasised. A dedicated standard for Intelligence and Investigations contributes significantly to the investigation of doping offences and the uncovering of criminal networks.
In the Compliance Statement, WADA calls on all national sports federations and national stakeholders to recognise the NADC27 and to implement the NADA Germany’s regulations accordingly. To this end, the NADA Germany has made the German version of the NADC27 available to the national sports federations. Furthermore, NADA Germany will commission the drafting of a model anti-doping code to assist with the implementation of the NADC27. Further webinars are also planned.
The WADC2027 and NADC27 will come into force on 1 January 2027, replacing the previous WADC2021 and NADC21.