More cash for NADA

Germany's national anti-doping agency (NADA) is due to carry out a huge amount of new drug tests starting from January 2015, as a knock-on from a new 2015 world anti-doping code. The increase in testing will mean that further money is required by NADA, funding which has now been granted.

The German agency's operating budget for next year will move from 7.7 up to 10 million euros ($9.7 to $12.6 million), according to NADA boss Andrea Gotzmann, in Bonn on Tuesday.

The new, resulting German code which also starts next year will see the standard ban on doping athletes lifted from two to four years, increases the statute of limitations from eight to ten years, tightens up legal loopholes, and create an increased list of doping offences.

But, the main change inside of Germany will be that NADA will become more-or-less solely responsible for doping testing, taking away the responsibility from the country's many sports associations.

The reason: the new World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code stipulates that only national anti-doping authorities, international sport federations and major event organizers – like the IOC - will be able to test for performance-enhancing drugs.

The finance question

Despite the government approval of an increase in funding for NADA, the authority will still have its work cut out to achieve their goal of "sport without doping" in the next few years.

"If we go out in January and February and test at every event, then we will go broke by June," said Lars Mortsiefer from NADA.

Sports bodies will have to pass on to NADA the financial support they now need, he says.

As an example, the German football association (DFB) spends around 800,000 euros a year on testing for drugs and analyzing samples, according to Mortsiefer. By the start of the 2015/2016 season, NADA wants to take over all post-game and training session drug testing in the Bundesliga though.

So far, most sports associations are keen to let NADA take over, he says, not least because the testing requirements layed out under the new code are so demanding.

Travis Tygart, the current head of the US anti-doping agency (USADA) says that a domestic anti-doping agency taking over all testing from the individual sports associations should improve the quality of tests.

"In the USA many of these sports associations didn't have the expertise to do the investigations they should have, and they didn't test for the right things," he said.

Since late 2000 Tygart's organization, USADA, has done all testing at domestic sports events in the US. "This way, sports organizers can concentrate on what they are good at," he added.

"Hosting sports events and getting fans into stadiums."