DownloadOverview: Message from the Chair
This annual report comes at the conclusion of the debut year for the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA). The Australian Government launched ASADA on 14 March 2006 with a goal of making the 'tough on drugs' in sport message even tougher. ASADA has boosted Australia's historical strengths in the areas of education and testing by the addition of a suite of new functions in a number of diverse areas. These include conducting investigations, presenting cases at sporting tribunals, recommending sanctions, and approving and monitoring sporting organisations' anti-doping policies.
Most importantly, ASADA has been empowered with the ability to share information with other Australian Government agencies (such as the Australian Customs Service, Australian Federal Police and Therapeutic Goods Administration) to accelerate whole-of-government cooperation in the fight against doping in sport.
Internationally, ASADA has been commended by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which said, 'Australia has taken this approach [of anti-doping] even further and developed a revolutionary model that solidifies cooperation between the anti-doping authority and other government agencies' (WADA Play true magazine, Issue 1 2007, p8).
ASADA is an innovative organisation with a vision for Pure Performance in sport, supported by a range of new powers. Our mission is to protect Australia's sporting integrity through the elimination of doping.
Throughout our debut year of operation, ASADA remained focused on building new capabilities required under our new legislation and delivering on our expanded range of outcomes across our frontline business units of Deterrence, Detection and Enforcement.
Deterrence
ASADA's first goal is to deter athletes from involvement in doping, which is achieved by educating at-risk athletes. ASADA seeks to communicate the message of Pure Performance to athletes in a way that is relevant and inspiring.
During the past year, ASADA's commitment to innovative anti-doping education has been demonstrated by the piloting and rollout of the ASADA Pure Performance Outreach Program. The program, aimed at the elite athletes of tomorrow, is supported by a team of qualified ASADA educators. Designed to be informative, interactive and fun, the program was developed in close consultation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Australian Olympic Committee. The program made its highly successful debut at the 2007 World Olympic Youth Festival in Sydney, where the response from athletes was enthusiastic.
Another key component of ASADA's Education Service Charter was the development of a Pure Performance Athlete Workshop aimed at elite athletes in sports at greatest risk of doping. The workshop was trialled as part of an eight point anti-doping action plan for the sport of weightlifting, a sport determined to rebuild the confidence and trust of the Australian sporting public.
ASADA also developed and piloted a Pure Performance Seminar to provide athletes and support personnel with quality anti-doping education. Seven pilot seminars were conducted during 2006-07 with the aim of informing participants about their anti-doping responsibilities and reducing the risk of athletes inadvertently doping.
ASADA's revamped education program - targeted at both the stars of today and tomorrow - will be rolled out across urban and regional Australia in 2007-08. This will help communicate the message of Pure Performance to thousands of Australian athletes, their parents and other support personnel.
In March 2007 ASADA's Deterrence team launched a dedicated Athlete Whereabouts Online System to make life easier for elite athletes who, under their sporting rules, must provide whereabouts information for No Advance Notice testing. Using state of the art technology, the portal was launched following extensive consultation with stakeholders. It now provides athletes with secure, online convenience, around the clock, for lodging and updating whereabouts information. Feedback has been positive regarding the new online system compared with the previous cumbersome paper and fax-based system. No Advance Notice testing of athletes is a requirement under the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) to ensure the maximum chance of detecting possible doping.
The activities of ASADA cannot take place without the support of our key domestic partners. During the year, 95 domestic sporting organisations signed letters accepting the jurisdiction of ASADA in anti-doping matters. With these letters of referral in place, all recognised national sporting organisations are fully compliant with respect to their anti-doping policy obligations under the ASADA legislation. I would like to acknowledge the goodwill and cooperation ASADA received from all sporting organisations (NSOs) as we completed this process.
Detection
While we all hope that Australian athletes would not involve themselves in doping, it is imperative that ASADA builds robust systems to catch those who let themselves, their sport and their country down by doping.
ASADA has redefined detection in anti-doping by building a holistic capability integrating traditional testing with new powers of investigation that comply with the Australian Government Investigations Standards. Combined with the new relationships ASADA has built in the past year with other government agencies such as the Australian Customs Service, ASADA has a detection capability greater than ever before.
ASADA conducted 6,953 tests during the past year across 65 sports and 2,220 athletes. In March, ASADA conducted over 300 tests during two intensive weeks of competition at the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Swimming Championships in Melbourne. Per capita, Australia has one of the largest testing programs in the world, which acts as a major deterrent to doping.
During the year, ASADA completed the first of several investigations, examining allegations of doping in the sport of weightlifting. This investigation proved to be an early test of the organisation's capabilities, as ASADA needed to work cooperatively with two state police forces and an international laboratory to fully examine the allegations.
As a result of this groundbreaking investigation, five athletes and/or athlete support personnel from the sports of weightlifting and power lifting were placed on the Register of Findings (RoF) for a range of serious doping violations. These included use, possession, or trafficking of prohibited substances such as stimulants, steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). Sanctions applied to these offences have ranged from two years to lifetime bans from sporting competition.
While testing can detect many forms of doping, it cannot detect serious violations such as possession and trafficking. To complement traditional testing, ASADA has a strong investigative capability that represents a new and powerful front in the fight against the most serious forms of doping in Australian sport.
Enforcement
ASADA's enforcement activities represent another new function developed in the debut year of operations. Analysing case materials, preparing evidentiary briefs and arguing cases before the relevant sporting tribunal, the role of ASADA's Enforcement unit is to apply the Code fairly and firmly when athletes or support personnel have violated anti-doping rules.
During the past year, 24 athletes and athlete support personnel were found to be in violation of Australia's strict anti-doping rules. For the first time, application of ASADA's new powers has seen athletes sanctioned for using substances that traditional testing cannot detect.
The clear trend in anti-doping is the growing number of violations detected via investigations where evidence may be sourced from a variety of avenues including police or Australian Customs. Tribunal hearings of such matters are becoming increasingly complex, lengthy and expensive.
Support
During the 2006-07 financial year, ASADA has been required to build a significant number of new functions in support of the overall business. These new functions include Information Communications and Technology, Finance, Business Planning, Business Improvement, Procurement and Security Management, and Human Resources.
Many of these functions were required to ensure that ASADA complied with its new obligations under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and the Australian Public Service Act 1999 (APS Act).
The financial outcome for the 2006-2007 year is a strong indication of ASADA's dedication in achieving Pure Performance. The result for the accounts is a surplus of $1.040m. This is against the achievement of the expected deliverables. This result reflects a positive operating environment and improved financial management within ASADA, as well as improvements in each of the business areas. ASADA invested in the future with development and recognition of our capital expenditure on the internally developed Athlete Whereabouts Online System.
In 2006-07 Portfolio Additional Estimates, the Australian Government approved an increase in funding to support ASADA's increasing number of complex investigations and tribunal hearings. This funding allowed ASADA to manage the growing caseload resulting from the application of its new powers.
A major achievement for ASADA was the retention of the ISO 9001:2000 accreditation. This was particularly pleasing given the large number of new functions ASADA built during its inaugural year of operation.
ASADA's commitment to the Australian Government's Protective Security Manual security was demonstrated by the creation and filling of a new position, Procurement and Security Manager. This role has proved to be crucial in developing robust security arrangements for the protection of confidential information.
A major objective of ASADA's Human Resources section was to complete the policies and procedures underlying the 2006-09 certified agreement. ASADA also introduced a performance management system to be used to monitor progress against defined and measurable objectives.
Redefining anti-doping
The past 12 months have seen ASADA build and apply its new functions and powers in pursuit of Pure Performance in Australian sport. On behalf of the ASADA members, I want to thank the hard working ASADA staff for embracing the challenge to launch an anti-doping agency unlike any other in international sport.
I also wish to thank the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator the Hon. George Brandis SC and the former Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator the Hon. Rod Kemp for their commitment to Pure Performance in Australian sport.
In a short period of time, ASADA has redefined anti-doping by building
a unique capability integrating traditional testing with broad powers of
investigation. Never before in Australian sporting history has an athlete
or athlete support person involved in doping stood a greater chance of being
detected and sanctioned than they do today through the powers and work of
ASADA.
Richard Ings
Chief Executive Officer/Chair
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority
