At the end of the third quarter, the Credibility Figures underpine the MPCC’s stance on vigilance against doping. In addition to the setbacks looked in some sports and countries in this fight, recent data on cycling also indicates that the battle is far from over.
Committed to the fight against doping since its inception, the MPCC has always expressed the need to « keep the light on » in the face of this scourge, both for cycling, which has made considerable efforts, and for sport in general. In recent months, our movement has taken a clear stance on new practices that jeopardise the credibility of cycling : the use of a new generation of painkillers such as Tapentadol, the use of ketones, whose long-term impact on health remains poorly understood given the various studies published on the subject, and the inhalation of carbon monoxide, which is potentially lethal if not strictly supervised.
We welcome the swift action taken by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on some of these practices, without waiting for any decisions at the highest level by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). While it took WADA a decade to place Tramadol on the list of prohibited substances, the agency should be much more responsive to the repeated use of carbon monoxide, as its ban is set to take effect on 1 January 2026. The MPCC welcomes this ban, which demonstrates that those involved in the fight against doping must be determined in their efforts.
Keeping the light on
Is MMA in the crosshairs of anti-doping efforts ?
Nevertheless, this battle is far from won, as illustrated by the Credibility Figures. As of 30 September, we had recorded nearly 600 cases of doping or sports fraud among elite athletes worldwide. The breakdown by country and sport leads us to several conclusions. Athletics, which is often the sport most closely monitored by national and international anti-doping agencies, has the highest number of cases with 108 athletes testing positive, ahead of weightlifting (38) and MMA (35).
The MMA’s situation is interesting in more ways than one due to the competitive structure of the sport, set between international federations (GAMMA and IMMAF), which have chosen to entrust their testing policy to a major player, the ITA (International Testing Agency), and private leagues, mainly American and considered to be the most competitive in the world, whose attitude towards doping remains ambiguous. In fact, in 2024, the UFC, and just a few days ago, the PFL, decided to no longer delegate their testings to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and sought out other so-called « independent » organisations. These changes are all the more questionable given that the sanction scale imposed by these agencies are much more lenient than WADA’s. In France, four fighters have already been sanctioned by the AFLD (the french agency) this year following bouts organised by the Ares league. The evolution of the figures for MMA in 2026 will therefore be particularly worth following.
India must make efforts
At a national level, India tops the list of the most affected countries with 94 cases of doping and sports fraud revealed after the third quarter, ahead of Russia (71) and France (41), a case on which further details are needed. The trend we are seeing is in line with WADA’s findings, which list India among the countries most at risk from doping (more than 200 cases in 2023 according to the agency). This situation is all the more problematic as India is busy bidding to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. The local Olympic committee (IOA) has therefore decided to reorganise the disciplinary panel of NADA India, the national anti-doping agency, to strengthen its controls.
In France, not all 41 cases involve doping, as 11 French athletes have been sanctioned by the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency), for sports fraud, most often for failing to report or participating in sports betting, a scourge that has plagued the sport for many years. These French players are all ranked below the 200th place in the world, at a level where making a living is difficult and the temptation to cheat is therefore particularly strong.
Finally, we cannot conclude this overview by country without mentioning the continuing delicate situation in Kenya, which has been under WADA’s scrutiny since an audit carried out in May 2024. Its national agency, the ADAK, was at risk of being declared non-compliant with the World Code, which could have resulted in the country’s absence from several international competitions. Actually, several members of the Kenyan agency indicated that it was mainly budgetary restrictions imposed to control public debt that were jeopardising its proper functioning. After putting ADAK’s operations at risk at the end of 2024 with a projected budget reduced by a factor of 20, the Kenyan government finally granted the equivalent of $2 million for 2025-2026. This is a reasonable budget, but a significant decrease compared to previous years. This saga is a sign of the challenges ahead in the fight against doping.
7 new cases in cycling
As for cycling, it has not been spared from a resurgence of cases, with seven riders provisionally suspended or sanctioned during the third quarter. One of them, Giovanni Carboni (Unibet Tietema Rockets), is the first Pro Team athlete to be caught out by his biological passport in three years. His team, a member of the MPCC, quickly applied one of our fundamental rules by removing him from its roster, even though it claims that the period in question for the anomalies predates his recruitment.
After the first nine months of the year, 16 professional road, track, BMX and mountain bike riders were suspended. The figure is in line with those recorded over the past decade, with around 20 doping cases per year. However, the MPCC cannot be satisfied with this status quo and reiterates that cycling must remain flawless and proactive in the fight against sports fraud. Its stakeholders have a duty to remain united and to give themselves the means to consolidate cycling as the healthiest, most professional and fairest sport possible.
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