You & Anti-doping As a talented athlete, you are required to know and understand your responsibilities to train and compete drugs free in sport. It is part of my role as a lifestyle advisor to ensure that athletes have access to all the relevant information and understand the anti-doping procedures nationally and internationally. The aim of the guide is to inform you of your roles, risks and responsibilities around anti-doping as well as inform
Contents Athlete vulnerability to taking drugs ...................................................................................................... 2 Triggers to taking drugs ...................................................................................................................... 2 Strict liability ....................................................................................................................................... 2 In the media ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Reporting procedures ............................................................................................................................. 3 Testing procedures ................................................................................................................................. 3 Roles of UK Anti-Doping and WADA and identify sources of information ............................................. 4 Further information ................................................................................................................................ 5 Useful links .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Contact Us ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Athlete vulnerability to taking drugs Doping in sport is a historical problem, possibly as old as organised sport itself. In Ancient Greece, athletes used special diets and stimulants to aid their sporting prowess. However, it was not agreed until the 1920s that restrictions were needed on drug use in sport. For any high performance athlete, training is tough competition is rife. Therefore, if you are competing in performance sport, anti-doping becomes a normal part of being an athlete. Talented young athletes are vulnerable to taking drugs in sports as they wish to progress through the performance pathway and impress, face pressure and are trained to take advice. Furthermore, young athletes may be at an important stage in their sport where major selections are happening, or at a
Triggers to taking drugs All athletes are looking for the best training, strength and conditioning and nutritional advice to succeed in their sport. Others look for something to give them the edge over their competitors. Unfortunately, misconceptions such as ‘Isn’t everyone else doing it?’ and ‘My coach suggested I do and I trust them’ can lead to significant and permanent consequences. Other reasons an athlete might consider taking drugs include:
Pressure to succeed from themselves/coach/teammates/family Body modification Cognitive stimulation Financial rewards for outstanding performance Performance-based funding contracts Illness and injury Community and media attitudes and expectations of success Nutrition supplementation
Strict liability At this stage of your sporting career, you need to be aware of Strict Liability. Strict Liability means that you are solely responsible for any banned substance you use, attempt to use, or is found in your system, regardless of how it got there and whether there was an intention to cheat or not. You may wish to consider the following scenarios to help you think about your responsibility around substances you take:
Do you take a prescribed medicine regularly for an ongoing medical condition? Have you taken any medication recently, e.g. for a cold, cough, pain relief? Has anyone ever given you something to take in addition to your normal daily diet? e.g. nutritionist, friends/family Have you ever taken powdered sports drink? Are you taking any nutrition supplements? If you’ve been injured, have you ever used a cream or lotion as part of your treatment? Have you trained abroad? Did you purchase any medication there?
If you have answered yes to any of the above, you may have experienced inadvertent doping by accidentally taking a prohibited substance. There are no excuses, it is your responsibility to be aware
of these risks. Please visit How to have clean sporting success to find out about how to protect you from inadvertent doping. Another resource you may find useful is 100% me. This is the UKAD’s education programme that aims to help you make the right decisions in relation to anti-doping and your sporting career.
In the media Famous inadvertent drug taking include the American sprinter Justin Gatlin’s prescription ADD medicine caused him to fail a drugs test in 2006. Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan had the gold medal she won at the Olympics taken away after failing a drugs test as a results of taking over-thecounter Nurofen Cough and Cold medicine. Whether you use it by mistake or on purpose, any prohibited substance found in your body is your responsibility. There are no excuses.
Reporting procedures When you are required for a drugs test, you will be notified by a Doping Control Officer (DCO) or a Chaperone. They will show you their identification and notify you that you have been selected. You will need to report with the Chaperone or DCO to the Doping Control Station. You will be accompanied at all times by the Chaperone or DCO. Following notification, athletes may delay reporting to the Doping Control Station for valid reasons only. These depend on whether the test is in-competition or not.. Athletes have the right to request a ‘delay’ in immediately reporting to doping control for a permitted reason as specified in the International Standard for Testing (IST). Any request must be approved by the Doping Control Personnel. Permitted reasons for a delay for in-competition include fulfilling media commitments, competing in further competitions, performing a warm-down, obtaining necessary medical treatment, locating a representative and/or interpreter, obtaining photo identification and any other reasonable circumstance as determined by the DCO/Chaperone. For Out-of-Competition Testing, permitted reasons to request a delay in testing include locating a representative, completing a training session, receiving necessary medical treatment, obtaining photo identification and any other reasonable circumstance as determined by the DCO/Chaperone. When called in to report for a test, athletes have a responsibility to remain within direct observation of the DCO/Chaperone at all times from the point of notification by the DCO/Chaperone until the completion of the sample collection procedure, produce photographic identification such as competition accreditation or a driver’s licence, comply with sample collection procedures and report immediately for a test, unless there are valid reasons for a delay (see above).
Testing procedures The testing procedure can be broken down into 6 steps, from notification to analysis of the sample.
1. Notification of Selection for a blood/urine Test
Athletes may be notified of selection of a test at any time and event, during training or while at an out of competition location without any prior warning by a UK Anti-Doping Doping Control Officer (DCO) or a Chaperone using an official Doping Control Form.
2. Reporting for Sample Collection An athlete is required to report to the Doping Control Station as soon as they have been notified. Please visit the website for circumstances where an athlete may request a delay in reporting to the Doping Control Station.
3. Selecting Sample Collection Vessels Athletes will be asked to select a sealed sample collection vessel, and should check that it is empty, clean and the seal is intact and should be kept in sight of the DCO and athlete at all times.
4. Urine Sample Provision The DCO, of the same gender as the athlete, may be able to directly observe the passing of the urine from the body into the collection vessel, to avoid any possibility or suggestion of manipulation. At least 90mls of urine must be collected into the vessel. Please visit the website for more information on providing a Partial Sample, Testing the Suitability of the Sample and its specific gravity.
5. Recording and Certifying the Information for Urine Samples The DCO will record the anonymous A Sample and B Sample bottle numbers on the sample collection form and invite the athlete to check the information is correct. At this point the athlete will be invited to declare any intake of substances or medication.
6. Transferring the Samples to the Laboratory Once the samples are placed in a security sealed transit bag they are sent to a WADA accredited laboratory, by a secure chain of custody, for analysis. This ensures that every step of the process is fully documented and only those authorised to handle the sample do so.
Roles of UK Anti-Doping and WADA and identify sources of information UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is the national organisation committed to prevention of doping and protecting a culture of clean sport, through awareness, education and intelligence-led testing. UKAD is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
UKAD is accountable to Parliament through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. UKAD was created in December 2009 and follows the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), working in partnership with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA);integral to UKAD’s international activities.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was established in 1999. WADA’s mission is to lead a collaborative worldwide campaign for doping-free sport. It is an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. WADA focuses on scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti Doping Code (Code). This is the core document that provides the framework for antidoping policies, rules, and regulations in all sports and all countries. WADA focuses on 7 core values of Independence, Ethical approach, Accountability, Professionalism, Best Practice, Innovation and Integrity. The values help WADA to work towards a vision of a world that values and fosters dopingfree sport. WADA is responsible for annually preparing and publishing the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. Please visit the website for more information on this. For more help with banned substances, you can visit the Global Drug Reference Online for prohibited medications, and Informed Sport for supplement information.
Further information Useful links
2015 Anti-doping Code changes - From 1 January 2015 there was be a revised World AntiDoping Code (2015 Code). This factsheet highlights important changes in the2015 Code that as an athlete you need to make sure you are fully aware of. The Prohibited List 2015 –The list details substances and methods banned in sports in-and out-of-competition. Make sure you are clear on these. Checking your medicine via the Global Drugs Reference Online Athlete Zone – for further information on how UK Anti-doping supports athletes
Contact Us If your question is not answered here, please contact the Education Team via athletes@ukad.org.uk