The 2026 Olympics were the cleanest in history—with no doping violations
The 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have been recognized as the cleanest in a generation, as not a single positive doping test was recorded during the competition.
This was reported by the BBC.
Has fair play triumphed?
For the first time in 28 years (since the 1998 Nagano Olympics), there were no cases of athletes being suspended during the competition. This occurred as the World Anti-Doping Agency implemented a program of unprecedented scope. During the Games themselves, over 3,000 samples were collected from nearly 2,000 athletes. A key factor in this success was testing during the pre-Olympic period—92% of participants were tested at least once in the six months leading up to the Games.
ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen noted that the system now focuses on the “most sensitive” period—the qualification stage—which deters athletes from using banned substances in advance.
Despite perfect statistics during the tournament itself, one incident occurred four days before the opening. Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler tested positive for a metabolite of letrozole (a drug that lowers estrogen levels). The athlete appealed her provisional suspension and was cleared to compete in Milan, though the final hearing in her case will take place later.
However, it is worth noting that the absence of violations at this time is not a definitive guarantee of the Games’ “cleanliness.” According to the rules, doping samples will be stored for 10 years for retrospective analysis using new technologies. The sports community is calling for even tougher sanctions, up to and including lifetime bans, to prevent situations where honest athletes lose funding and moments of glory on the podium due to their rivals’ cheating.
As a reminder, the number of Russians and Belarusians admitted to the 2026 Olympics has been significantly reduced, according to Bidny.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has admitted nine athletes from Russia to the 2026 Winter Olympics under neutral status.
