Praxa supports WADA’s Athlete Passport

Sydney - 1 March 2002 - At the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) launched its “Athlete Passport” in a push to increase athlete awareness of WADA’s anti-doping program. Praxa Limited developed and implemented the Athlete Passport application.

The paper-based Athlete Passport is supported by an Internet application, developed by Praxa, which allows athletes access to WADA published information on drugs in sport, as well as drug testing records.

This Internet application is based on the Australian Sports Drug Agency’s (ASDA) Drug Information Management and Planning System (Eugene) that provides administrative support for the Athlete passport, the dissemination of anti-doping information (including an athlete guide in 6 languages), as well as athletes’ worldwide locations.

Praxa developed the Athlete Passport application with the 2002 Winter Olympics providing a tight timeframe. The design used a system prototyping approach, with a skeleton system provided to the key users and international sponsors of the system for review of functionality and security. The design also leveraged the existing functionality of the Eugene database.

The system has been implemented using Microsoft Windows 2000, SQLServer and Internet Information Service. It also uses Microsoft Office integration for the generation of athlete documentation. SSL communications are used to maintain user data privacy, and XML format interchanges to communicate with information providers. Praxa Limited in Canberra, Australia, hosts the service.

Commenting, the Chief Executive Officer of Praxa Limited, Mr Colin Holgate, said:

“We are delighted to be at the leading edge of the Olympic anti-doping program through our innovative, web-based database service which allows athletes to access vital information on drug-related issues as well as the capacity to view historical information on their individual testing results.

Praxa is committed to developing innovative solutions for our clients to ensure maximum functionality for all users and the provision of critical, time sensitive data in a relevant, accessible format,” he said.


About Eugene
Eugene is the Australian Sports Drug Agency’s (ASDA) Drug Information Management and Planning System. The system is designed to assist in all aspects of ASDA’s drug testing process, from the tracking and selection of athletes, through to the recording of results and follow up action.

The services of Praxa were secured in 2000 to improve the existing system and broaden its appeal to other national anti-doping agencies.

Eugene’s functionality and application is now being developed through input from its User Group, which includes members such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the Drug Free Sport Consortium (DFSC).