What is ‘whereabouts’?

Whereabouts is information that players submit about their daily location and activity. It’s used to locate you for no-notice testing, which is crucial to the effectiveness of an anti-doping programme.

Who needs to provide it?

Whereabouts is intended for elite-level players, and if you are included in a whereabouts pool, you will be notified of your responsibilities via your union. This will include details of what information you have to submit, when you have to submit and update it, and to which organisation. Your union and/or club will usually submit collective match, travel and training activity for your team (though you can do this yourself if you choose to), but you are still responsible for the accuracy of all the information you are required to submit.

Where do I submit my whereabouts information?

Players included in World Rugby testing pools (TP) must submit whereabouts to World Rugby. Players in a NADO testing pool must submit to the NADO. Players in an RTP must submit via the WADA ADAMS system.

How often must I file my whereabouts?

Submissions must be made before the start of each quarter. World Rugby will send reminders via your Member Union in the month prior to the relevant quarters below:

Quarter 1: January 1 to March 31
Quarter 2: April 1 to June 30
Quarter 3: July 1 to September 30
Quarter 4: October 1 to December 31

Can someone else file my whereabouts on my behalf?

Yes, but you remain responsible for ensuring that your submission is accurate and on-time, and for being available at your specified locations/times. 

How do I make changes to my whereabouts during the quarter?

Your whereabouts must be accurate at all times. TP players should submit changes or updates to World Rugby via whereabouts@world.rugby. Include your name, Union and what the change of location, date or time is. RTP players should submit updates via ADAMS.

What is a whereabouts failure?

These are specific to RTP players and there are two types – a Filing Failure and a Missed Test. If your submission is late, incomplete or inaccurate you can incur a Filing Failure. If a DCO is unable to locate you during your 60 minute timeslot you can incur a Missed Test. Committing 3 x whereabouts failures in 12 months can result in a sanction of 1‒2 years.

What is a testing pool failure?

These apply only to TP players. If submissions are late, inaccurate, or lead to a DCO being unable to locate you for testing, you can incur a Testing Pool Failure. Multiple violations in a 12-month period can result in you being elevated to the RTP. You may also be charged by World Rugby for the test costs related to any failure.

Do my whereabouts failures expire?

Yes, each Whereabouts or Testing Pool Failure expires after 12 months from the date it was committed. A player included in, or elevated to an RTP starts with zero whereabouts violations.

What is a 60 minute time slot, and do I need to stay in the location for the full hour?

In the RTP you must identify a specific 60 minutes every day where you can be located for testing. In the TP, you must provide this for any periods when you are away from organised team activities (e.g. during the off season, holiday or periods of injury). You must be available for the whole 60 minutes, but you may be tested at any time inside or outside the time slot.