The official Games-time period

The London 2012 Olympic Village

All athletes need to know when the official ‘Games-time’ period starts and finishes as you are under the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee.

When is the Games-time period?

For the Olympics, the Games-time period is 16 July until 12 August (i.e. the opening of the Athletes' Village until the end of the Closing Ceremony).

For the Paralympics, the Games-time is 22 August until 9 September (i.e. the opening of the Athletes' Village until the end of the Closing Ceremony).

When you are In- and out-of-Competition

Olympics

For the Olympic Games the in-competition period is 16 July until 12 August. The list of in-competition banned substances applies throughout the Games-time period, regardless of when your event takes place.

Remember there are substances that are banned in-competition only and substances that are banned at all times. Any banned substance found in your system during this time will return a positive test.

Your sport may also have additional substances which are banned in-competition.

Paralympic Games

For the Paralympic Games there will be a mixture of in-and out-of-competition testing. You can still be tested by other anti-doping organisations during this period.

In-competition is defined as:

The period 12 hours before the individual competition in which you are due to take part, until the end of the doping control process for that day.

Out-of-competition is defined as:

All other times during the period of 22 August – 9 September

When can I be tested?

During the Games-time period all competing athletes will be under the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Olympic Games or the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the Paralympic Games. The IOC and IPC rules will apply during these periods.

You can be tested regardless of where you are during this period – not only in  the Athletes’ Village but at all Olympic competition venues, holding camps, training venues and accommodation sites in use during the Games.

You should be aware that up until you validate your Olympic or Paralympic accreditation you can be tested by any other anti-doping agency that has jurisdiction over you. This could be, for example, your International Federation (IF) or UK Anti-Doping.

What substances are banned In- and Out-of-Competition?

Athletes and athlete support personnel should visit the Prohibited List if they are unsure about which substances are on the List or if they need to check for any sport specific in-competition banned substances.

The Prohibited List will tell you which substances are banned at ALL times and those which are banned in-competition only.

Remember: any banned substance found in your system at this time will return a positive test, regardless of when it was taken.