Doping Control Demystified:

ITA Educator Mikel Thomas on Testing, TUEs, Whereabouts, and Clean Sport

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:

• Global DRO:GlobalDRO.com – Type in a medication name and country to see instantly if it is legal, banned, or requires a TUE. There are variations from sport to sport and in-competition/out-of-competition.
• International Testing Agency:ita.sport/athlete-hub – Access clear, athlete-to-athlete educational webinars and toolkits.
• Sport Integrity Canada:sportintegrity.ca – The newly updated home for Canadian clean sport standards, therapeutic exemptions, and athlete rights.
• Mikel Thomas Branding: Reach out to Mikel directly to explore the Athlete Brand Playbook, digital presence building, and how to secure corporate sponsorships. Instagram and Threads: @mikel_thomas

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:

• Icarus (2017): An absolute must-watch. An amateur cyclist and film maker attempts to self-experiment with performance drugs to see if he can bypass standard testing, only to accidentally stumble into exposing a massive, state-sponsored doping conspiracy. It perfectly illustrates how easily sample security can be compromised when systems fail.
• The Ben Johnson Story: Mikel explicitly noted this project. It re-examines the infamous 1988 Seoul Olympics scandal that forever altered the cultural landscape of “anti-doping” terminology and sports media scrutiny.

Check out the accompanying blog post for additional resources, an FAQ, and a run-down of this episode with Mikel.

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