Athlete Ombuds

The Office of the Athlete Ombuds is available to offer elite athletes confidential advice regarding anti-doping rules and regulations from the World Anti-Doping Agency, international federations, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, or the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

The Office of the Athlete Ombuds can help with:

• Navigating the process upon notification of a positive test;
• Accessing legal or mental health resources;
• Understanding rights, resources and options during an anti-doping investigation;
• Understanding anti-doping precedent;
• Understanding the impact of an anti-doping issue on USOPC/NGB benefits and services;
• Assistance with whereabouts filings or responding to whereabouts failures (we always recommend responding);
• Assistance with the therapeutic use exemption (TUE) process;
• Understanding Games-specific rules;
• Assistance with the retirement, or return from retirement, process;
• And understanding the appeals process to the Court of Arbitration (CAS).

This information is not a comprehensive set of rules and individuals should consult the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for further information. USADA’s website provides many resources to help athletes, athlete support personnel, and medical professionals understand the anti-doping process and the role they play to protect clean sport.  The WADA Code, the international standards and the prohibited list, as well as USADA’s protocols and policies can be found here.