FACTS AND FIGURES

• Any person who represents their sport at a national or international level is eligible to be drug tested.

• Some sporting organisations (e.g. state sporting institutes, AIS and state organisations) may have specific anti-doping policies, and may also subject their athletes to testing at a state level.

• Athletes should first seek information regarding their sports anti-doping policy from the specific national or state sporting organisation or institute.

• Doping refers to an athlete’s use of prohibited drugs or methods to improve training and sporting results. Steroids are the drugs that often come to mind when we talk about doping, but doping also includes use of other forbidden drugs (such as stimulants, hormones, diuretics, narcotics and marijuana), use of forbidden methods (such as blood transfusions or gene doping), and even the refusal to take a drug test or an attempt to tamper with doping controls.

• Inadvertent doping occurs when an athlete uses a medication to treat an illness, without realising that it contains a banned substance, and consequently returns a positive drug test result. In this situation, even though the athlete may not be taking drugs to enhance performance, they may return a positive drug test result because the medication contains a banned substance.

• Doping is considered to be unethical by most international sports organisations and especially the International Olympic Committee. The reasons are mainly the health threat of performance enhancing drugs, the equality of opportunity of the athletes and the exemplary effect of “clean” (doping-free) sports on the public.

• In recent years, gene doping has been reported as being an emerging form of doping. Gene doping would be very difficult to detect as well as permanent and irreversible.

• A handful of commentators maintain that, as outright prevention of doping is an impossibility, all doping should be legalised. However, most disagree with this assertion, pointing out the harmful long-term effects of many doping agents. With doping legal, all competitive athletes would be compelled to use drugs, the net effect would be a level playing field but with widespread health consequences.

• Another point of view is that doping could be legalised to some extent using a drug whitelist and medical counselling, such that medical safety is ensured, with all usage published. However, under such a system, it is likely that athletes would cheat by exceeding official limits to try to gain an advantage. Thus, to police such a system could be as difficult as policing a total ban on performance enhancing drugs.

• Each sporting organisation is required to have an anti-doping policy, in order for them to meet the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code). The anti-doping policy will be a part of the rules and regulations of a sport. Sporting organisations should make their policy available to all athletes and support persons required to abide by the rules of that sport. Athletes and support persons should familiarise themselves with their sport’s policy and be aware of any other requirements of their sport that they must comply with.

• The Code is the international agreement harmonising anti-doping rules across all sports and all nations. The Code promotes commitment, consistency and co-ordination by all anti-doping stakeholders.

• In-competition testing is where an athlete is selected for testing in connection with a specific competition. Out-of-competition refers to any test, which is not in-competition.

• The random selection procedures used for in-competition testing may involve athletes being selected through a process involving final placing or through the drawing of competitor numbers. At ASADA, the selection of athletes for out-of-competition testing can be determined by random draw, weighted draw or by direct targeting.

• If you have been notified that you have you been selected for doping control you are required to provide a sample. If you do not provide a sample it is considered to be a Failure To Comply (FTC), which is an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

• Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) are required by athletes that need to use a prohibited substance for a legitimate medical reason. A standard TUE is required for the use of any prohibited medication, other than an inhaled asthma medication and certain non-systemic glucocorticosteroid products.

• During doping control (testing) athletes have the right to: appoint a representative and interpreter (if required); ask for additional information about the sample collection process; receive medical attention; complete a warm-down; attend a victory ceremony, compete in further events, finish a training session or do anything else that is reasonable and with the consent of the chaperone before providing a sample such as fulfilling media commitments.

• Athletes are responsible for: being aware of, and complying with, their sport’s anti-doping policy and rules; providing accurate and up-to-date contact and whereabouts information when required to do so; being available for sample collection and complying with sample collection procedures; being responsible for whatever substances they ingest and use; ensuring that any medical treatment they receive complies with their sport’s anti-doping policy.

• Support personnel are responsible for: being knowledgeable of, and complying with, all anti-doping policy and rules applicable to them or the athletes whom they support; supporting and assisting Anti-Doping Organisations, including ASADA, to conduct doping control using their influence on athletes’ values and behaviour to foster anti-doping attitudes.