Following the meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency's Executive Committee (ExCo) on 16 November, WADA wishes to provide an update on the ExCo's decision to endorse the recommendation of WADA's independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to declare the Tunisian National Anti-Doping Organisation (ANAD) as non-compliant with immediate effect.  

The Tunisian NADO has one outstanding critical corrective action related to its national legislation not being in line with the 2021 Code and was declared 'non-compliant' by the WADA at the Executive Committee and the Foundation Board meetings held in Montreal, Canada, on 16 and 17 November 2023, respectively. 

In the days following the ExCo, ANAD provided a clear timetable for the adoption of the necessary amendments to bring Tunisia's legal framework into compliance with the Code within four months. 

At the same time, critical corrective actions from an audit conducted in March 2023 were signed off. On this basis, the CRC updated its recommendation to the ExCo for inclusion on the 'Watch List', which was approved by the ExCo on 6 December 2023. 

ANAD's inclusion on the Watch List means that, in accordance with Article 8.4.5 of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), WADA would automatically send ANAD a Formal Notice of Failure to Comply with the Code, with proposed consequences and reinstatement requirements, if ANAD had not resolved its outstanding non-compliance by 6 April 2024. 

At the end of the Watch List period, the non-compliance had not been resolved. Therefore, in accordance with the Article 9.2.3 of the ISCCS, WADA sent the Tunisian National Anti-Doping Organisation a formal notice of non-compliance on 8 April 2024. 

ANAD has 21 days from receipt of the formal notice to contest World Anti-Doping Agency's allegation of non-compliance and/or the consequences and/or the terms of reinstatement proposed by WADA or to accept the allegation of non-compliance in accordance with Article 9.3.1 of the ISCCS. The decision and the consequences will become effective on 29 April 2024, unless the decision is appealed by that date. 

Therefore, the purpose of this Communication is to provide Signatories with sufficient time to prepare for the Consequences to take effect on 29 April 2024. In the meantime, thay will not apply and WADA will notify the Signatories on or about 29 April 2024. The proposed consequences and reinstatement terms for ANAD can be found here.