How unannounced doping tests work in Germany – and why Ansah faces a ban

Strict requirements for elite athletes

Top athletes like Ansah belong to the Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which is subject to the strictest requirements of Nada and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). These athletes must keep their whereabouts data – including during vacations, at work or at school – up to date at all times and designate a daily one-hour window between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. in which they are available for testing. Bunthoff stressed that unannounced tests are necessary because „es gibt Substanzen, die nicht lange nachweisbar sind“.

The samples are specifically collected by two specialized companies that Nada cooperates with: Professional Wordwide Controls (PWC), based near Munich, and International Doping Test and Management (IDTM) from Stockholm. Nada itself does not employ its own control personnel, but draws on around 400 doping control officers worldwide. The team typically consists of one to three controllers, occasionally a single officer, in pairs, or rarely in threes. Female athletes are tested exclusively by female controllers, and male athletes by male ones.

Which samples are taken

Which samples are taken depends on the individual case, according to Nada. Possible samples include urine, blood in the form of serum or whole blood, and, since September 2021, Dried Blood Spot (DBS) samples. These are obtained through a small prick in the fingertip or upper arm; the drops of blood are collected on filter paper.

If an athlete misses a test – for example, because their whereabouts data is outdated – this can be counted as a "strike," according to Nada. National women's football player Laura Freigang also faces such a proceeding, according to Bunthoff: „Vor einem solchen Verfahren steht etwa Fußball-Nationalspielerin Laura Freigang.“ Only at three strikes within twelve months is the threshold reached at which an anti-doping rule violation proceeding can be initiated.

From strike to proceeding: How the thresholds work

How frequent such incidents are is shown by figures from Nada's annual report for 2025: in the past year, there were around 500 hearings regarding possible filing-obligation and control failures conducted by Nada. „Von diesen rund 300 Strikes führen im Jahr rund zwei bis drei Fälle zu einem Verfahren, aufgrund von drei Meldepflicht- und Kontrollversäumnissen innerhalb von zwölf Monaten“, Bunthoff explained.

The consequences of a refusal were outlined by ZDF expert Lisa Mayer on the sidelines of the Finals: had Ansah not opened the door, this would probably have amounted to only a strike. „Aber an der Stelle, wo er dem Doping-Kontrolleur die Tür geöffnet hat und die Doping-Kontrolle nicht abgegeben hat, ist das eine Verweigerung.“ An opened entrance and the subsequent refusal are therefore classified by the rules as a formal refusal.

The perspective of other pros: Controls as everyday routine

How closely knit controls are today is also illustrated by javelin thrower Julian Weber, who by his own account once received a strike because his phone was switched off and his doorbell was broken. The 2022 European champion now sets an alarm to ensure he is reachable within his morning testing window. Regarding the controls, Weber said: „Das gehört einfach dazu zum Profisportler-Dasein. Es ist richtig und wichtig, dass das umgesetzt wird.“

At the same time, according to Bunthoff, the controls reflect a shift in elite sport: „Vor allem geht es mittlerweile darum, dass Sportler ihre Regenerationsphasen verkürzen, etwa nach Verletzungen.“ This is why testing is increasingly being carried out in phases where substances might be used to speed up recovery. Nada can test any athlete in its testing pool at any time and anywhere for prohibited substances. Bunthoff also described a case in which a controller reached an athlete at his university during an exam.