Have You Ever Wondered What Happens When a Doping Control Officer Shows Up at an Archer’s Door? This episode is going to demystify the Doping Control process and hopefully answer some of those burning questions. Manisha interviews ITA Athlete Educator and three-time Olympian Mikel Thomas about Doping Control and Clean Sport.
During his 15+ year career in Athletics and Bobsleigh for Trinidad and Tobago, Mikel has been tested more times than he can remember. Now, as an athlete-to-athlete educator, he walks listeners through the process from notification through to sample collection, privacy, minor safeguards, and an athletes’ rights. He covers who can be tested, Registered Testing Pool (RTP) requirements, Whereabouts, and how missed tests and “fail to comply” can lead to violations. Manisha and Mikel also discuss the risks of buying supplements and medications from another country and cannabis rules in sport.
Mikel emphasizes the responsibilities of an athlete for substances used in and on their body, declaring medications/supplements, using Global DRO, and obtaining Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE). The conversation also links sport integrity to athlete branding, highlighting Mikel’s “Off Track” project and Athlete Brand Playbook, and how he helps athletes build monetizable brands through authentic storytelling, NIL awareness, and IP ownership.
00:00 Welcome & Introduction
00:36 Meet Mikel Thomas
01:56 Who is the ITA (International Testing Agency)
02:27 DCOs & Chaperones
04:08 Testing Basics
05:25 Who is Eligible for Doping Control
08:27 Random Testing Reality
10:35 A Step-by-Step Process
13:59 Medications & TUEs
16:37 Minors & Safeguards
18:39 Applying for a TUE
21:51 Declaring Supplements
23:50 Whereabouts & Avoiding Whereabouts Violations
27:53 Fail to Comply Explained
29:23 Buying Medications & Supplements While Traveling
30:04 Cannabis Rules
32:53 Clean Sport and Branding
37:56 Owning Your Athlete IP
40:06 Follow-up and Resources
41:39 Travel Tips and Wrap Up
Additional References & Resources
Bookmark these sites immediately to keep you and your Archer in the know:
A Cinematic Look at Doping Control
If you want to visually understand the mechanisms, pressures, and flaws of the global anti-doping system, add these titles to your next movie night:
Check out the accompanying blog post for additional resources, an FAQ, and a run-down of this episode with Mikel.
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