Athletics Integrity Unit to implement more dope tests for a packed 2023 road racing calendar

While the lucrative 2023 global road racing calendar will witness an increase in races, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has put in place a robust drug testing process. A greater frequency of dope tests would be conducted to ensure fair play and clean competition.

“It is anticipated that a registered testing pool of approximately 300 professional athletes will be created. Around 2,000 tests will be conducted out-of-competition and over 1,450 tests in-competition in 2023,” the World Athletics said in a statement last week.

According to Brett Clothier, head of AIU, given the recent spate of anti-doping rule violations in Kenya, it was crucial to assure all stakeholders. This new dope test regimen would ensure they have confidence in the integrity of the World Athletics road-racing circuit.

“After two years of operations limited by the pandemic, the integrity program will be back to full strength, underwritten by a budget that doubles to nearly $3 million,” explained Clothier. “This shows the remarkable commitment of the road running industry to clean sport.”

Race organizers are also committed to clean sport by funding a dedicated road running integrity program, managed by the AIU. There will be as many as 238 road races, 20 more than last year, in the 2023 season, spread across 53 nations.

Indian road racing events in 2023

The prestigious Tata Mumbai Marathon, a gold-label event for World Athletics, will be back in 2023.

“The Mumbai Marathon was postponed in 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic but will be held on January 15 next year in Mumbai,” an official of Procam International, the race organizer, told Sportskeeda.

The Mumbai Marathon is among the four main races on the Indian circuit and was approved by the World Athletics for the 2023 calendar.

As per the 2023 road racing calendar, the World 10K Bengaluru run will be held on May 7, while the Delhi Half Marathon is scheduled for October 15. Both are gold-label events too.

“The Delhi Half Marathon will be held in October instead of November due to smog in Delhi,” an official associated with Delhi Half Marathon told Sportskeeda.

The Kolkata 25K run is placed in the elite category and will be held on December 17.

The 2023 road racing series will begin with the Xiamen Marathon, a Platinum Label race, in Xiamen, China on January 2. It concludes on December 31, with New Year’s Eve races in Spain, Italy, and China.