New Delhi, March 13 The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday that it would now be able to communicate bidirectionally with anonymous informants regarding doping and other ethical violations in the sport, while preserving their confidentiality through an enhanced intelligence gathering tool.
The AIU is an independent body created by World Athletics that manages all integrity issues – both doping and non-doping.
Its responsibilities include anti-doping measures, pursuing individuals involved in age or competition results manipulation, investigating fraudulent behaviour regarding transfers of allegiance, and detecting misconduct such as bribery and breaches of betting rules.
The two-way communication with anonymous informants, who can reach out even through WhatsApp to file complaints or provide tips, will allow investigators to clarify and review inputs on any violations. Investigators were previously unable to follow up with these anonymous informants.
The "Report Integrity Concerns" link on the AIU's website allows informants to provide inputs. They can also scan relevant QR codes to open anonymous WhatsApp or email on someone's device.
The AIU assesses incoming information for reliability, considers it in relation to other information, and takes decisive action when appropriate.
"Now, with three different reporting mechanisms, all of which enable ongoing two-way communication with our intelligence experts, we are striving to make the act of reporting concerns to us more accessible to the community we serve," explained AIU Head of Investigations and Intelligence, Michael King, in a statement.
"The key part of this tool is our ability to communicate anonymously with people in a two-way fashion. When someone has a concern and reports it to us, but wants to remain anonymous, we can still communicate and exchange information to seek clarification and provide feedback."
"The only people who have access to this tool are trained professionals with years of experience managing confidential information from individuals like these."
David Chadwick, the Founder and CEO of RealResponse, the company providing the AIU's new reporting tool, endorsed King's view.
"When people feel safe to speak up, the integrity of sport gets stronger. Two-way anonymous communication allows investigators to move beyond a single report and have meaningful dialogue that leads to better information and better outcomes," said Chadwick.
King noted the ability to verify information provided through reporting avenues will bolster intelligence-gathering, adding that the AIU depends significantly on the "trust and goodwill of the athletics community".
"These tools are critical to us doing our job and helping the athletics community. We work tirelessly to try and protect athletes and the community from all kinds of integrity threats," he said.