What We Learned Inside the Informed Sport Lab
As a company, we believe strongly in clean sport, to protect athletes’ health and promote a level playing field. So when the chance to visit the labs where Informed Sport Certification testing happens we jumped at the opportunity.
Visiting the lab was a fantastic experience and gave us a much deeper appreciation of the complex testing process behind the Informed Sport programme and how it strengthens the wider anti-doping ecosystem.
“The scale and depth of testing surprised us.”
We knew the testing was rigorous, but seeing it in person was something else. Every sample goes through multiple analytical stages, with results reviewed by several experts. The sensitivity of the equipment, the commitment to quality processes, and the blind testing left us in no doubt: this is world-class testing.
“Every step is designed to minimise risk.”
What stood out most was the quality control. The lab has procedures to prevent contamination and false positives or negatives at every point. It’s incredibly methodical, with multiple specialists reviewing all data before any certificate of compliance is issued. As a small but ambitious brand, it reassured us that we’re part of a programme built to reassure the athletes who trust us.
“Batch testing, blind testing, and traceability are world-leading.”
We’ve always told athletes to check the batch codes on our Informed Sport–certified BICARRB product, but we didn’t fully appreciate just how much testing sits behind that certificate. Learning how markers are added to detect any banned substances was fascinating, and seeing how challenge-blind procedures verify the robustness of the system gave us huge confidence.
Why Informed Sport Matters for Small Brands Like Ours
As a young company, Informed Sport certification has been vital in gaining the trust of elite athletes. Even the risk of accidental contamination is too high for them to take a chance. Before partnering with Informed Sport, we knew that top-level athletes wouldn’t use our product, no matter how effective, without that assurance.
Certifying our BICARRB has allowed us to support athletes competing on the world stage. This now includes fuelling a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships and as well as 10 national records in athletics. Those results simply wouldn’t have been possible without certification.
Beyond elite sport, we’re proud that certification gives all our customers the reassurance that they’re taking a tested, safe product that not only helps them perform at their best but also protects their health.
