On Thursday, November 17, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced the official launch of ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System), the web-based database management system that coordinates anti-doping activities worldwide under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).'This is a significant step forward for global efforts to rid sport of doping,' said WADA director general David Howman. 'ADAMS simplifies the process for everyone. It helps us all become even more efficient at catching the cheaters and levelling the playing field for clean athletes around the globe.'With ADAMS in place, all parties involved in anti-doping activities are now able to coordinate information within one secure system, from athletes providing whereabouts information, to anti-doping organizations (ADO) ordering tests, to laboratories reporting results, to ADOs managing results. The four modules making up ADAMS are integral to the global anti-doping system:Athlete Whereabouts: Stakeholders share whereabouts information, crucial for maximizing the surprise effect and the efficiency of unannounced out-of-competition testing; athletes update their information online, from anywhere in the world.Doping Control Platform: ADOs use ADAMS to manage a registered testing pool and its results, as well as the process for hearings, sanctions, and appeals.Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Management: ADOs and athletes manage TUE requests online, as well as notification of those involved in the process. Approved TUEs can be linked with abnormal test results.Information Clearing House: To ensure the coordination of anti-doping activities, all data is stored and protected, including lab results, TUEs and anti-doping rules violations. Sharing information among relevant organizations guarantees that anti-doping activities are performed with the highest level of efficiency and transparency.ADAMS first went online in mid-2005 for the initial pilot phase. The system has since been introduced to 30 ADOs and 10 anti-doping laboratories with extensive training.'The Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport (CCES) officially implemented ADAMS into its anti-doping program in October this year,' saidJeremy Luke, general manager of CCES' anti-doping program. 'Already, we are beginning to notice the benefits of ADAMS--it has increased our efficiency and allowed more economic use of our resources, all in a secure online environment. The overall implementation has been relatively smooth and the feedback we are receiving from Canadian athletes and sport administrators has been positive.''Under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA is responsible for acting as a central clearing house for doping control testing data for registered pool athletes in order to ensure the integrity of the global fight against doping,' said Howman. 'We are delighted by the overwhelming response that ADAMS is receiving from stakeholders and look forward to the complete adoption of the system so that, collectively, we rid sport of doping.'Over the coming months, more partners will be trained and added to the ADAMS system, with a vision of bringing 85 ADOs and all anti-doping laboratories online in 2006.