Anti-Doping in Sport

Anti Doping in Sport

All athletes have the right to compete in sport knowing that they, and their competitors, are clean.

The Girevoy SPort Union (GSU) believes in clean sport and work in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) to ensure that the integrity of our sport is protected.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs and other doping behaviour severely damages the legitimacy of sport and undermines the integrity of clean athletes.

The GSU has in place a set of anti-doping rules that all athletes, coaches and athlete support personnel must abide by. The anti-doping rules for GSU are consistent with the World Anti-Doping Code (2015 Code), which governs anti-doping internationally.

You can find the UK Anti-Doping Rules here.

The anti-doping rules of GSU are the UK Anti-Doping Rules published by UK Anti-Doping (or its successor), as amended from time to time. If you are a member of GSU or take part in any of the competition ran by us or the organisations we partner with, the anti-doping rules apply to you, regardless of what level you participate at.

There are many organisations that work hard to protect sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is responsible for leading the collaborative world-wide campaign for clean sport. Established in 1999 as an independent agency and funded by both sport and governments, it manages the development of the World Anti-Doping Code. The Code aims to harmonise all anti-doping policies ensuring that athletes and athlete support personnel are treated fairly and consistently.

The aims of the 2015 Code and WADA are to:

•    protect the Athletes’ fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport and thus promote health, fairness and equality for Athletes worldwide, and

•    ensure harmonised, coordinated and effective anti-doping programmes at the international and national level with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping

In the UK, the GSU works in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) to prevent doping.

UKAD is the national anti-doping agency for the UK, dedicated to protecting a culture of clean sport – it achieves this through implementing education and testing programmes, gathering and developing intelligence, and prosecuting those found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

UKAD is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through the implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.

100% me is UK Anti-Doping’s education programme for athletes – designed to provide information resources, education sessions and general advice to athletes throughout their sporting careers.

Find out about 100% me in the dedicated Athlete Zone [www.100percentme.co.uk] of the UKAD website.

All athletes need to be aware of the principle of strict liability. This means that all athletes are solely responsible for any banned substance they use, attempt to use, or that is found in their system, regardless of how it got there and whether or not they had an intention to cheat.

It is crucial that athletes check all medications are safe to take prior to use. Medications can be checked online via Global DRO.

Athletes must undertake thorough internet research of any supplement products before use – including the name of the product and the ingredients/substances listed. Information revealed as a result should be further investigated and we advise athletes to keep evidence of their search.

The 2015 Code outlines ten Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).  Athletes, and Athlete Support Personnel (ASP), may receive a ban from sport if any of the following ADRVs are committed:

•    Returning a positive test

•    Using, or attempting to use, a banned substance or method

•    Refusal or failure to provide a sample when requested

•    Tampering, or attempting to tamper, with any part of the testing process

•    Possession of a banned substance or method

•    Trafficking, or attempted trafficking, of any banned substance or method

•    Administering, or attempted administering, of a banned substance or method to an athlete; or encouragement, aiding and/or covering up of any involvement in an ADRV

•    Receiving any combination of three filing failures and/or missed tests in a time period of 12 months (for athletes who are part of the National Registered Testing Pool)

•    Complicity (new from 1 Jan 2015)

•    Prohibited Association (new from 1 Jan 2015)

All ten ADRVs apply to athletes. Only the ADRVs in bold apply to ASP.

Consequences are Significant

Under the 2015 Code, a minimum four-year ban from sport will apply to those who are found to be deliberately cheating and breaking the rules.

The 2015 Code has little sympathy for carelessness – for inadvertent doping, athletes are more likely to face a two-year ban from sport.

All athletes, coaches and athlete support personnel need to make sure they have sufficient anti-doping knowledge to avoid committing an ADRV and receiving a ban from sport.

The Prohibited List

All banned substances and methods in Code-compliant sports are outlined in the Prohibited List, which is updated at the beginning of every calendar year, but may also be updated throughout the year. The latest Prohibited List can be found on the WADA website [wada-ama.org]

Understand the Importance of Checking Medications

Before taking any medication (whether from a doctor or bought over the counter) athletes must check to make sure it does not contain any banned substances. Medications can be checked online at Global DRO [www.globaldro.co.uk]. It is important to note that medications bought in one country may contain different ingredients to the same branded medication in another country.

Know the Risks with Nutritional Supplements

Athletes are strongly advised to be very cautious if they choose to take any supplement such as vitamin tablets, energy drinks, or sport-nutrition formulas. This is because there is no guarantee that any supplement is free from banned substances.

All athletes are advised to:

•    assess the need to use supplements by seeking advice from a medical professional or nutritionist on their need to use supplement products

•    assess the risks associated with supplements and undertake thorough research of all supplement products they are considering taking

•    assess the consequences to their careers – they could receive a four-year ban before making a decision to use supplements.

However, supplement risks can be reduced by:

•    undertaking thorough internet research

•    only using batch-tested products

•    checking on Informed-Sport (which is a risk minimisation programme) that the supplement has been batch tested

Visit the UKAD website for further information [www.ukad.org.uk/supplements] including information on the Informed Sport [www. informed-sport.com] programme, which provides a batch-testing service for supplement products.

Apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)

Athletes can obtain approval to use a prescribed banned substance or method for the treatment of a legitimate medical condition by applying for a TUE. They must be able to provide medical evidence to confirm their diagnosis and prescription, and reference that there are no reasonable alternative medications.

•    International-level athletes (as defined by their International Federation) need to apply to their International Federation for a TUE

•    Athletes competing at National level need to apply to UKAD for a TUE

TUEs approved by UKAD, unless stated otherwise, are valid at national level only. If an athlete is competing at international events, a UKAD TUE will not be valid unless it is first recognized by the relevant International Federation or Major Event Organisation. Athletes should notify the relevant body of this as soon as possible prior to competing.

Athletes listed under the ‘National’ category for their sport must apply for their TUE in advance. The ‘National’ category for TUEs is defined by UKAD by sport and can be found on UKAD’s website here. Only in an emergency situation or where there will be a severe impact on health should treatment begin without the necessary approval. Athletes not listed in the ‘National’ category would only need to apply for a TUE retroactively should they be tested and their sample return an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF).

You can find out more about whether you need a TUE and how to apply for one (including emergency TUEs) on the UKAD website here.

Understand What Happens in a Test (Doping Control)

Athletes should feel prepared and know their rights and responsibilities when they are notified to be tested by a Chaperone or Doping Control Officer. When selected for testing, athletes should take a representative with them to the Doping Control Station.

A urine test will follow these main steps:

•    Notification

•    Reporting to Doping Control Station

•    Providing a sample

•    Recording and certifying sample information

UK Anti-Doping recommends that athletes follow their normal hydration routines if selected for testing.

Athletes need to be prepared to provide details of any substances they have taken – this needs to be written on the Doping Control form. Athletes should report any concerns they have about the process or the equipment on the Doping Control form.

Athletes can find out more about testing, including their rights and responsibilities, in the Athlete Zone[www.100percentme.co.uk] or by downloading the Clean Sport App from their app store.

Know Where to Look for Support and Advice

Please do not hesitate to ask questions about the anti-doping rules. As well as England Boxing, coaches and athlete support personnel, you may also contact UKAD directly, who will be able to answer any questions and provide guidance.

We all have a responsibility to report doping in sport and help keep it clean. A 24-hour dedicated phone line, hosted by Crimestoppers, is ready to take your call if you have any suspicions or concerns about incidences of doping in sport. You can provide information in complete confidence by calling 08000 32 23 32 or via a secure website[http://secure.crimestoppers-uk.org/ukad/]. All information is passed securely to UKAD’s intelligence unit for investigation.

100% me Elite Athlete Clean Sport App for Smartphones

For essential anti-doping information download the Clean Sport App from iTunes or Google Play – the sport specific or the generic version.

Check Your Medications on Global DRO

Remember to check all medications on [www.globaldro.co.uk] Global DRO, where you can search by ingredients or brand name.

Assess the Risk of Supplements on Informed Sport

You can find information on supplements and ways of reducing the risks on Informed Sport. [www.informed-sport.com]
Register with UK Anti-Doping

Visit UKAD’s website and register to keep up to date with the latest news. [www.ukad.org.uk/account/register]

For More Information from UKAD:

•    Visit www.100percentme.co.uk If you’re an athlete

•    Visit www.ukad.org.uk/coaches If you’re a coach

•    Visit www.ukad.org.uk/support-personnel If you’re Athlete Support Personnel

•    Visit www.ukad.org.uk/parents if you’re a parent

Keep up to date with the latest news on www.facebook.com/100percentme.uk or www.facebook.com/ukantidoping

Have your say on Twitter @UKAntiDoping.

For further information please contact UKAD at ukad@ukad.org.uk or +44 (0) 207 842 3450.