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Tamworth
Athletic Club has a strict anti-doping policy. The following
Anti-doping policy has been adopted from uk:athletics, please
visit their website: http://www.ukathletics.net
for more information.
The
following is text reproduced from the uk:athletics website
Introduction
Doping in sport is defined as the administration of a prohibited
substance and/or method to
enhance performance or recovery. Doping is cheating and is
against the ethics of sport. For sport to allow the use of
prohibited substances or methods would be to allow science
to decide who wins or loses, essentially taking the athlete
out of athletics.
UK Athletics (UKA) has traditionally taken a strong stand
against doping in athletics and we are determined to continue
our fight against drugs in sport. Subsequently, UKA runs a
programme of both in and out-of-competition testing as well
as a comprehensive education programme.
Whilst the majority of testing is conducted on international
athletes, participation in ANY UKA event (at any level) carries
with it implied consent to be available for in-competition
drug testing, if requested. Of course, UKA also runs a full
programme of out-of-competition testing aimed at national
and international standard athletes who are notified in writing
of their election for the register.
This fact sheet aims to provide clubs with the basic information
that athletes, coaches, parents and officials need on the
UKA anti doping programme. More detailed information can be
obtained from the UKA website www.ukathletics.net or from
the UKA anti doping department (contact details are given
at the end of this fact sheet).
Prohibited
Substances
From 1st January 2004, the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)
has taken over the responsibility for drafting the Prohibited
List.
There are 3 criteria for inclusion on the WADA prohibited
list, with the substance or method fulfilling at least 2 of
the criteria in order to be included.
The criteria are: -
• that the substance or method is performance enhancing
• that the substance or method represents an actual or
potential health risk
• that use of the substance or method violates the spirit
of sport
The International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF)
decides which substances are
banned in athletics, based on the WADA list. UKA adopts the
IAAF's list of prohibited substances and methods as its list.
Clubs’
Anti-Doping (AD) Fact Sheet
The most important thing to remember is that athletes are
responsible for anything untoward found in their system no
matter how it got there. It is no defence that it is medication
that a Doctor or even a team Doctor prescribed. Athletes should
also beware of products that are sold over the counter as
they can contain prohibited substances.
Use of Supplements
The manufacture of supplements is not controlled in the way
that the manufacture of medications is and as such it is impossible
to guarantee that the contents of the packet correspond exactly
to the label on the packet. Research conducted recently by
the IOC showed that up to 20% of European, 'over the counter'
supplements analysed contained prohibited substances, even
though they were not included on the label. This may often
be the result of accidental contamination of products with
a prohibited substance. UKA therefore strongly recommends
that athletes review their diet to ensure that their nutritional
needs are met by a balanced diet rather than relying on supplements.
The fact that a banned substance has been taken inadvertently
is no defence. If an athlete is found guilty of a doping offence,
not only may it be the end of their sporting career, it is
also likely to be the end of any career the athlete might
be planning in the media or as a coach or a manager. Their
integrity may be irreparably damaged.
Information
Sources
There are many sources of information available for athletes
to access (a list of which is found on the UKA website www.ukathletics.net)
but the most important include the anti doping department
of UKA (which is supported by a qualified Medical Officer),
and the Drug Information Database (DID) www.uksport.gov.uk/did
which is an online database, run by UK Sport.
The DID provides immediate information on the status of medication
and I would strongly recommend that every athlete has this
resource saved in their favourites file on their computer!
The Drug Free Sport section of the UK Sport website www.uksport.gov.uk
is also full of useful information about drugs and AD procedures.
Athletes and support personnel should regularly visit both
the UKA and UKS websites to keep up-to-date with developments
within doping.
A link to the current list of prohibited substances and methods
can be found in the anti doping section of the UKA website.
Doping regulations are based on the principle of strict liability.
Strict liability, in this context, means that athletes are
responsible for what is found in their samples (blood and/or
urine samples are currently collected for analysis). Strict
liability means that the only issues in a doping matter are
whether the prohibited substance was found in the sample (or
the prohibited method has been used) and the sample is the
athlete's sample. There is no need to prove intention or negligence
on the part of the athlete. If an athlete is asked to give
a sample he or she must always do so. Athletes can be banned
for two years if they refuse. If an athlete has a plane to
catch or an appointment to meet and is not able to provide
a sample before it is time to go, he or she must explain this
to the person proposing to take the sample and they should
be able to accompany the athlete wherever he or she needs
to go. If the athlete is under the age of 18 he or she should
always insist that a parent or guardian is present. A UKA
anti-doping representative may also be present and if so will
be able to advise as to how the testing procedure should be
carried out.
Therapeutic Use Exemptions
In certain situations, there is a medical requirement for
an athlete to use prescribed medication containing a prohibited
substance. Registration of prescribed use must be done and
accepted by UKA before the medication is used or immediately
its use begins. A common example of this is the use of inhalers
to control asthma. Some inhalers contain beta- 2-agonists
which are included in the prohibited list. However, it would
be inappropriate to prevent the use of these products where
there is a clear medical indication. If an athlete uses a
beta-2-agonist, the athlete must register its use by completing
a simple form (obtainable from the UKA website). Once the
form is received by UKA, the details of the athlete are placed
on a register held by UKA so that in the event of a positive
finding for that substance during drug testing, there will
already be evidence of the prescribed use of that substance.
As a result, no further action will be taken. Acknowledgment
of the registration is sent out by UKA to the athlete. Registration
of use must be completed annually and also every time the
prescription changes. The same principle for registration
of inhalers applies to the use of other medication prescribed
by the athlete's doctor where the medication contains a prohibited
substance. Should there be no alternative to this course of
treatment UKA should be advised immediately (before the treatment
takes place, although in emergencies this is not always possible)
so that this can be checked, appropriate action taken, if
necessary, to allow continuing participation, and a record
kept for reference should an adverse finding arise.
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