DownloadOverview: Message from the Chair
During the 2007–08 financial year, ASADA continued to strengthen its functional anti-doping areas of investigations, presenting doping cases to sporting tribunals, recommending sanctions, monitoring compliance of national sports organisations, providing education and testing.
Our commitment to quality was demonstrated by the continued certification of the management system against the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 requirements for quality management systems. As part of this certification, independent surveillance audits were again conducted by the certification body. No corrective actions were reported following the most recent surveillance audits (in April and May 2008), which was a particularly pleasing result given the many new programs we have established in the past year.
Lead-up to 2008 Beijing Olympics
On behalf of the Australian Government, in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, we invested over $1 million to partner with the Australian Olympic Committee to implement the most robust anti-doping program ever put in place for an Australian Olympic team. This program included 1,541 samples collected from 846 athletes, comprehensive education and information for all team members, and the long-term storage of samples in the Tank for future re-testing as laboratory technology continues to advance. This program helped to ensure the protection of Australia’s Olympic reputation for Pure Performance.
We also continued to help ASADA focus its strategic direction on meeting the output requirements for its deterrence, detection and enforcement programs.
Deterrence programs
The 2007–08 ASADA Pure Performance Education Service Charter is one of the key programs that delivers quality education about the risks and repercussions of doping. The Education Service Charter provides athletes and support personnel with a comprehensive and inclusive education program aimed at increasing their understanding of anti-doping. This includes information to help athletes avoid doping inadvertently through the use of common medications. Approved by ASADA Members, and endorsed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Education Service Charter includes a range of seminars, outreach and workshop programs.
The forecast of 7,000 attendees was exceeded when over 8,100 people attended ASADA education sessions during the financial year. The response from attendees at these sessions was enthusiastic and encouraging. Surveys indicated that 97 per cent of participants believed the education session reduced their likelihood of inadvertent doping, and 95 per cent believed it deterred them from contemplating doping. In addition, a broader survey of elite Australian athletes conducted during May 2008 indicated that 91 per cent believed ASADA was effective in educating athletes about prohibited performance-enhancing substances in sport in Australia.
Together with ASADA’s education team, well known athletes – including Olympic champion
Catherine Freeman and former AFL player Justin Charles – delivered the message of Pure Performance to the broadest possible cross-section of athletes and support personnel right across Australia. For the first time, seminar locations included major regional centres, such as Bathurst, Alice Springs, Newcastle and Cairns.
Complementing the Education Service Charter, ASADA continued to provide athletes and support personnel with tools and resources to help them comply with Australian anti-doping rules. These included the Anti-Doping Hotline which fielded 5,290 information requests about medications from athletes and support personnel during the year. The hotline also provided support to obtain Therapeutic Use Exemptions and maintain compliance with whereabouts requirements, seven
days a week.
Detection programs
Australian athletes have a well deserved reputation for being clean, but this is something we cannot take for granted. Australia is not immune from the risk of doping in sport, so we seek to deliver comprehensive detection programs to identify any athlete or support person who breaks
anti-doping rules.
Our detection capability is one of the most comprehensive in the world of anti-doping, as we have powers that allow us to conduct investigations into allegations of doping as an adjunct to our testing program. We are also able to work in cooperation with other government agencies to examine doping allegations, such as the use, possession or trafficking of prohibited substances.
During the past year, ASADA conducted 6,637 urine and blood tests across 73 sports and 3,820 athletes. We have advanced our testing program by integrating our intelligence, scientific and test distribution planning functions. As a result, we are at the forefront of ‘intelligent testing’ which increases the likelihood of detecting athletes involved in doping.
A key partnership we have developed is with the Australian Customs Service. During 2007–08 ASADA intelligence and investigations staff assessed information relating to 1,829 seizures of performance-enhancing substances by Customs. As a result of these investigations, ASADA identified four athletes or support personnel for placement on the Register of Findings (RoF) for violations that included the use, possession or trafficking of doping substances.
We played a key role at the third WADA Investigations Symposium held in Sydney in March 2008, sharing our experience in investigating anti-doping rule violations with other anti-doping bodies from around the world.
By combining our testing program with our powers of investigation, we have a world-class capability to detect serious doping offences that would previously have gone undetected.
Enforcement programs
Through analysing case materials, preparing briefs of evidence and presenting findings and/or recommendations to sporting tribunals, ASADA’s Enforcement Program is designed to ensure
anti-doping rule violations are managed in line with the principles of the World Anti-Doping Code.
During the year, the Enforcement Team reviewed 64 doping allegations, resulting in 27 entries on the RoF. Decisions to make an entry on the RoF are made by the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Committee (ADRVC), a sub-committee of ASADA Members. The ADRVC also recommends sanctions to sports for anti-doping rule violations as well as determining whether ASADA should appeal any decision of a sporting tribunal.
Support programs
During the year, we continued to help ASADA meet its obligations for robust financial management and sound corporate governance.
Now two years in operation, ASADA is a well established agency with effective controls in place to meet its obligations under theFinancial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and thePublic Service Act 1999 (PS Act), as well as the regulatory and governance requirements of theAustralian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 (the ASADA Act).
During the year, ASADA invested for the future by relocating its Canberra head office to premises in Fyshwick. These premises are specifically designed to meet ASADA’s needs in terms of information security and operating space for the next 10 years.
ASADA had a reportable loss for the year of $0.285 million but this loss was fully offset against previous years’ surplus results. The organisation continued to deliver its full range of outputs within its appropriation and client services revenue sources.
We continued to invest in our people through learning and development programs, and through work experience opportunities. Staff also participated in numerous domestic and international forums.
The year ahead
The 2007–08 year saw us deliver on the Australian Government’s expectations for Pure Performance in Australian sport.
A major focus in the coming year will be to assist Australian sport adopt the revised Code by the
1 January 2009 deadline. This will involve helping sports redraft their anti-doping polices to comply with the new requirements of the Code.
The new Code will also require amendment to the National Anti-Doping (NAD) scheme to ensure compliance. The NAD scheme is a legislative instrument that outlines how ASADA should implement its anti-doping functions under the ASADA Act. The process of amending the NAD Scheme will involve significant consultation with stakeholders across Australian sport.
In recognition of the skill of ASADA staff, I am pleased that the Beijing Organizing Committee for
the XXIX Olympiad selected two of our Doping Control Officers to provide their anti-doping expertise to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
On behalf of ASADA Members, I want to thank the dedicated, hard-working ASADA team and our many partners across the sporting community for their commitment to Pure Performance in Australian sport. I also wish to thank the Minister for Sport, the Hon. Kate Ellis MP, for her ongoing commitment to achieving a level playing field in Australian and international sport.
The year ahead promises new challenges as we continue to seek a level playing field in Australian and international sport. ASADA will continue to take a leadership role in the global fight against doping in sport.
Richard Ings
Chair
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority