Cricket’s return to the Olympic Games in 2028 is bringing new regulatory obligations for the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) elevating the sport’s global governing body to its highest compliance-monitoring category.
The ICC has been moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1 under WADA’s revised prioritisation policy, according to a report by PTI. The new classification will take effect on January 1, 2027, placing cricket alongside several major Olympic sports subject to the agency’s most stringent compliance oversight.
The decision comes as cricket prepares to feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, ending a 128-year absence from the Games following its only previous appearance in 1900.
Why WADA has moved the ICC into Tier 1
WADA’s prioritisation policy categorises international sports federations according to their Olympic or Paralympic status and sport-specific anti-doping testing requirements.
The agency considers Minimum Levels of Analysis (MLAs), which establish minimum proportions of eligible samples that must undergo particular forms of analysis for specified substances or methods.
These requirements are drawn from WADA’s Technical Document for Sport Specific Analysis (TDSSA) and apply to testing programmes involving international-level athletes.
Explaining the classification criteria, WADA stated, “IF tiers are based on whether sports are included in the Olympic or Paralympic programmes and on their combined Minimum Levels of Analysis (MLAs) taken from the Technical Document for Sport Specific Analysis (TDSSA),”
Cricket’s addition to the Los Angeles Olympic programme has therefore changed the ICC’s position within WADA’s compliance framework.
The ICC joins a group of 38 international federations in Tier 1, including FIFA, World Athletics, the International Tennis Federation, the Badminton World Federation, the International Hockey Federation and the International Gymnastics Federation.
The Union Cycliste Internationale and International Paralympic Committee are also among the organisations in the highest category.
Stricter compliance deadlines for cricket’s governing body
Tier 1 status brings more demanding monitoring procedures and specific timelines for addressing compliance deficiencies.
Under the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), proceedings can be initiated against top-tier international federations that fail to correct critical requirements within three months.
These requirements cover areas including anti-doping testing, results management and Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) records.
High-priority deficiencies must be addressed within six months, while general requirements involving data privacy are subject to a nine-month deadline.
The nine-month deadline for general requirements does not apply in the same way to lower-tier international federations and National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs).
Beyond these deadlines, WADA’s compliance expectations include the timely collection of samples, appropriate follow-up of athlete whereabouts failures and suspected anti-doping rule violations, and access to fair hearings within a reasonable period.
Such hearings must be conducted by impartial panels that are operationally independent.
The classification change does not indicate that the ICC has breached anti-doping rules. Rather, it places the organisation under a higher level of regulatory monitoring as cricket becomes part of the Olympic programme.
WADA’s policy prioritises sports with greater compliance risks
WADA’s tiered framework is intended to direct compliance-monitoring resources towards sporting organisations and countries where doping risks and their potential consequences warrant greater attention.
The policy also allows signatories some flexibility in strengthening their anti-doping systems, with the expectation that organisations across all tiers will continue developing the capacity to meet the World Anti-Doping Code and its International Standards.
Lower-tier organisations are encouraged to continue implementing corrective measures beyond the minimum actions required under the prioritisation framework.
WADA said, “The Policy supports WADA’s ongoing efforts to ensure that compliance monitoring is conducted in a consistent, transparent and risk-based manner.”
The system covers three categories of signatories: International Federations, National Anti-Doping Organisations and Major Event Organisations.
Although they fall under the same broad policy, the criteria used to classify these groups differ.
WADA will review and update the tiers every two years, with affected signatories receiving at least two months’ notice of any change to their classification.
India remains in WADA’s highest national tier
While the ICC’s promotion reflects cricket’s Olympic inclusion, India has retained its Tier 1 classification under the separate framework used for national anti-doping organisations.
India remains among 50 countries in the highest category, alongside China and the United States.
The classification comes against a backdrop of India’s high number of reported anti-doping violations, having ranked among the leading major sporting nations for doping offences over the previous three years.
However, WADA’s national tier system is not determined solely by a country’s anti-doping violation record.
The agency uses sporting performance data supplied by Gracenote through its World Sports Index, assessing countries’ results at senior-level international competitions over the preceding four years.
The methodology considers performances at events such as the Olympic Games and World Championships, while excluding regional, continental, youth and masters competitions.
WADA explained, “For clarity, this does not include performances at regional or continental events in order to represent a fair comparison for all countries. Performance refers to top-eight finishes in a competition, with first place gaining more ranking points than second place and so on.”
More recent performances receive greater weight, and results at the Olympic Games carry more ranking points than those at World Championships.
WADA also applies a multiplier derived from the TDSSA to account for differences in doping risk across sports and disciplines, particularly those involving greater strength and endurance demands.
Under this methodology, countries ranked from first to 50th are placed in Tier 1, while lower-ranked nations are distributed across three additional tiers.
India’s continued inclusion therefore reflects its position within WADA’s national classification system, which is distinct from the criteria behind the ICC’s promotion.
Other Olympic sports also move up WADA’s rankings
The ICC is not the only international federation whose classification has changed as a result of developments in the Olympic programme.
The World Squash Federation has moved directly from Tier 3 to Tier 1 following squash’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
World Boxing has also entered the highest category after receiving provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2025.
Changes have been made to the classification of Major Event Organisations as well.
The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee remain in Tier 1, while the Commonwealth Games Federation, now known as Commonwealth Sport, has been moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
The Asian Paralympic Committee has been added to Tier 2.
These adjustments form part of WADA’s broader effort to align its monitoring priorities with the scale, significance and risk profiles of sporting organisations and events.
Olympic inclusion brings new governance responsibilities for the ICC
Cricket’s return to the Olympics is a significant milestone for the sport’s international development, accompanied by a shift in the ICC’s position within global anti-doping governance.
The upgrade aligns cricket’s governing body with established Olympic sports federations and marks another institutional change ahead of Los Angeles 2028.
