Drug-Free Sport
Anti-doping in sport
The UK Government is fully committed to the detection and eradication of the use of drugs and doping methods in sport as laid down by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Standard Prohibited List. The use of performance enhancing drugs, substances and methods is cheating, unfair and contrary to the spirit of fair competition.
Use of banned substances and methods can be harmful to the athlete's health or to other competitors taking part, even if the motivation to use drugs is not to improve sporting performance.
Government policy actively supports the WADA and its World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), which sets the context for national policy. At a national level, the Government supports UK Sport in its role as the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) and in the implementation of the UK's Anti-Doping Testing Programme.
International anti-doping policy
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA was established in 1999 and its mission is to internationally promote and coordinate the fight against doping in sport. WADA is jointly funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and national Governments.
WADA's key activity areas are the development of the WADA Code and International Standards, anti-doping education to athletes and support personnel, relevant anti-doping research, increasing the capability of anti-doping organisations to implement anti-doping rules and out of competition testing in countries not necessarily equipped to do so.
The WADA Code
The WADA Code is an international set of rules and guidelines created to protect sport from doping. The Code aims to harmonise the anti-doping rules across all sports and countries.
Some of the core principles contained in the Code include:
- Strict liability - an athlete is held responsible if a banned substance is found in their body, no matter how it got there.
- Standardisation of anti doping offences
- A list of banned substances in a document entitled the WADA Prohibited List which captures the substances that are prohibited in competition and out of competition. This also includes a list of substances that are prohibited in particular sports
- Samples can only be analysed at laboratories accredited by WADA
- Harmonisation of sanctions
- An Athlete's right to a fair hearing
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The WADA Code and International Support
The Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in sport, agreed in March 2003, was one of the first international memorandums of understanding that outlined governmental support for WADA and its Code.
The Declaration was intended as a temporary measure to unite governments to recognise the Code and support the work of WADA until such time as a legally binding Convention could be developed, ratified and entered into force.
This led to the development of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport which was adopted in October 2005. The Convention brings, for the first time, a legal obligation on all governments to eradicate doping in sport. It does this by emphasising that governments and the sporting movement must act together under the auspices of WADA, support the work of the Agency, contribute to its running costs and comply with the mandatory articles set out in the WADA Code.
The UK ratified the Convention on 25 April 2006. The Convention will enter into force one month following deposition of the 30th Instrument of Ratification. The UK anticipates the Convention will be implemented during 2006.
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The UK's national anti-doping policy
UK Sport
National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADO's) are domestic organisations responsible for the planning, collection and management of anti-doping controls in their country. UK Sport is the UK's recognised NADO, and therefore has responsibility for the UK's drug testing programme, providing anti-doping education to athletes and support personnel and taking a proactive fight in the international fight against drug use in sport.
UK Sport determines an effective level of testing for each sport in conjunction with the relevant sport's governing body.
UK Sport's Drug Free Sport budget for the previous three years is as follows:
|
|
2003-04 |
2004-05 |
2005-06 |
|
Self-generated income |
£0.554 |
£0.686 |
£0.670 |
|
Exchequer funding |
£1,522 |
£1,952 |
£2,839 |
|
Total |
£0.968 |
£1,266 |
£2,169 |
NOTE: Figures are in £millions. Exchequer funding is offset by the income generated. Exchequer figures are operational costs only (they do not include DFS staff salary).
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Success of the UK's Drug Free Sport Programme
UK Sport conducted 7,968 tests across 50 sports during 2005-06, exceeding the target of 7,000 tests. This included a comprehensive pre-Games testing programme on British athletes competing at the Turin Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
The UK's level of positive findings stands at around 1.3%, against a worldwide average of 1.9%. This suggests that the UK's drug testing programme is an effective deterrent in the fight against doping in sport.
During 2006-07, UK Sport will attempt a minimum of 7,000 missions in line with the World Anti-Doping Code, with at least 55% of these being no notice, out-of-competition tests.
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The implementation of the WADA Code in the UK
UK Sport is working with sport's national governing bodies (NGBs) to implement the Code into sport's rules and regulations, as required by the WADA Code.
UK Sport has developed a number of documents to support this work, which includes:
- The UK's National Anti-Doping Policy
- Model Rules for NGBs
- UK Sport Anti-Doping Procedures Guide for Sport
- NGB Agreement
The majority of sports in the UK either comply with the Code, or are well on course to meet the requirements of the Code.
Anti-Doping Education
100%ME is the name of UK Sport's anti-doping education programme. Launched in May 2005, the programme has been developed to provide current and future athletes with the information and support to perform to the best of their ability without the use of performance enhancing drugs.
The programme comprises several elements including promoting drug free sport through direct interaction with athletes, developing accredited anti-doping tutors and enlisting sportspeople as ambassadors for their sport.
Further information on UK Sport (and its work to promote drug free sport, including its anti-doping education programme, drug information database and drug information line), is available on the UK sport website
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