• Table of contents
• Letter of transmittal
• About this report
• Message from the CEO
• Organisational overview
• Report on performance
• Management and accountability
• Financial information
• ASADA Advisory Group
• Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel
• Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee
• Appendixes
• Abbreviations
• Glossary
• Compliance Index
• Tables
• Figures

Detection

ASADA’s detection program focuses on investigating allegations of doping and conducting doping control activities. The foundations of the program, which integrates testing, intelligence and investigation, have been built up since ASADA’s inception. As a result, we are at the forefront of intelligence-based targeted testing, where intelligence acquired from a number of sources is analysed and used to influence testing.

We also operate a long-term storage facility that allows future advances in analytical technology to be applied to blood and urine samples collected from athletes today. If an athlete is using a prohibited substance not yet detectable, that athlete will have to withstand the next eight years of future testing technology to avoid detection and sanction.

National testing and sport operations program

A core element of our work is the implementation of a comprehensive testing program across a range of Australian sports.

The program, supported by government funding and user-pays arrangements, incorporates a scientific and intelligence-driven test distribution plan that involves in-competition and out-of-competition doping controls, with an emphasis on no-advance-notice testing.

The annual test distribution plan to allocate tests across sports and athletes is created with criteria specified in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) International Standard for Testing (IST). Our sample collection practice is conducted in accordance with the IST, the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), and National Anti-Doping (NAD) scheme.

The testing program is audited regularly by national and international bodies and is ISO 9001 certified. We have maintained our ISO certification since 2000.

During 2010–11 our intelligence-based targeted testing contributed to the elimination of doping in sport internationally as well as nationally. In this period we conducted 3,865 government-funded tests across 38 sports and 3,225 user-pays tests for Australian sporting bodies and other organisations (see table 8).

Top of page

Pure Performance programs

ASADA partnered with the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to deliver Pure Performance programs for the Australian team attending the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the Australian Youth Olympic Games team that attended the inaugural Youth Olympic Games which was hosted in Singapore.

The Commonwealth Games Pure Performance program included a comprehensive testing program, long-term storage of samples from a number of medal contenders and athletes in at-risk sports, and access to anti-doping education for athletes and support staff.

The Pure Performance program for the Australian Youth Olympic Games team focused on education to ensure that all team members were fully aware of their rights and responsibilities and the doping control process.

Top of page

User-pays tests 

ASADA contracted with a number of sporting administration bodies (such as the Australian Football League, National Rugby League (NRL), the Australian Rugby Union, Football Federation Australia and Cricket Australia) to provide comprehensive testing programs. We also collected samples under user-pays arrangements on behalf of WADA in the lead-up to and during a number of international sporting events held in Australia during 2010–11. This included sports such as cycling, rugby union, swimming, athletics, triathlon and shooting.

In 2010–11, user-pays arrangements were contracted with the Queensland, South Australian and Western Australian governments, to provide testing for athletes competing at state and territory level.

In 2011, both the Australian Football League and NRL renewed their annual anti-doping agreements. These agreements continued to incorporate analysis for human Growth Hormone (hGH), Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator (CERA) and Erythropoietin (EPO). ASADA continued to work closely with the Australian Football League and NRL to design their testing programs.

These agreements demonstrate both our ongoing commitment and dedication to working closely with sports to develop testing programs, and the commitment of major sporting organisations like the Australian Football League and NRL to achieve pure performance in their sport.

Table 8: Anti-doping tests conducted by ASADA in 2010–11

Client	Test type	Total tests completed
Government-funded tests	Out-of-competition	2,273
	In-competition	1,592
	Total government-funded tests	3,865
User-pays tests	Out-of-competition	2,068
	In-competition	1,157
	Total user-pays tests	3,225
Total		7,090

Top of page

Long-term storage facility

Our long-term storage facility is located at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory in Sydney. It is used to freeze athlete blood and urine samples for possible re-testing using future analytical technology. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, a doping violation may be commenced against an athlete up to eight years after the alleged event. The facility provides storage for samples for future analysis as detection capabilities improve over time.

This initiative widens the anti-doping net even further and reinforces our deterrence activities. Already, some substances such as CERA, undetectable only three years ago, are now detectable following advances in technology.

The long-term storage facility contains samples collected from athletes who represented Australia at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Accreditation of Doping Control Officers and Chaperones

During 2010–11, ASADA undertook several significant projects to recruit and train field staff including the following.

• A recruitment drive to increase our sample collection capacity, with over 30 new Chaperones recruited across several states and territories. Chaperones are employed as casual staff and work under the direction of a Doping Control Officer (DCO), to take responsibility for notifying athletes of their selection for doping control and accompanying the athlete through the sample collection process.
• The annual DCO Conference in November 2010, at which our 29 DCOs were re-accredited in line with the IST. This conference is a major component of the annual re-accreditation process for DCOs.
• An ASADA DCO was invited by WADA to be part of the WADA Independent Observer team at the 2010 Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China. Their selection was in recognition of the highly skilled field staff working at ASADA.

We also provided doping control expertise on behalf of WADA, with two ASADA DCOs undertaking a pre-Delhi Commonwealth Games out-of-competition testing mission throughout India. This mission also doubled as a relationship-building exercise with the Indian National Anti-Doping Organisation.

Table 9: Doping control facts and figures 2010–11

7,090	Total samples collected
70	Countries from which athletes were selected for doping control
2,146	Athletes in the Registered and Domestic Testing Pools
1,753	Blood samples collected
99.9%	Samples collected with no-advance-notice
1,069	Tests completed on potential athletes representing Australia at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games
1,739	Samples stored in the long-term storage facility

Top of page

Investigations and intelligence

Under legislation, ASADA has the power to investigate possible violations of anti-doping rules to determine whether there is evidence of an anti-doping rule violation as defined by the NAD scheme and the Code.

Investigations are conducted in accordance with Australian Government Investigation Standards using intelligence practices consistent with the best standards of other Australian Government agencies with intelligence capabilities.

In 2010–11, ASADA conducted two intelligence training courses for internal staff, other government agencies and overseas National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) from Singapore, Japan, Qatar, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. These courses provided participants with a thorough working knowledge of intelligence theory and procedures and how these relate to anti-doping. For participants from overseas NADOs, the courses also offered training in how to establish their own intelligence capacity to enhance their anti-doping programs. Feedback from participants was positive and further courses are planned for 2011–12.

Good relationships between ASADA and relevant government and non-government agencies are critical to eliminating doping in sport. One of our vital partnerships is with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (Customs), the agency responsible for seizing importations of prohibited substances entering Australia. During the year, we continually received assistance from Customs while also working collaboratively on a number of individual investigations. In 2010–11 we analysed 2,968 referrals of performance and image-enhancing drugs.

Our relationships with various law enforcement agencies have also developed over 2010–11. ASADA continued to work closely with state and territory police forces on several investigations, including a major Queensland Police investigation which led to positive law enforcement and anti-doping outcomes. ASADA commenced negotiations with the Australian Crime Commission on establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share information on a variety of matters of interest to both agencies. It is expected that a formal arrangement will be in place early in 2011–12.

During 2010–11 we analysed 297 incident reports, of which 106 progressed to intelligence case status. Of these matters, 52 derived from external notification incidents (including 41 from Customs and ten from state law enforcement), 75 from tip-offs, 41 from field incidents, 92 from scientific analysis incidents and 37 from athlete whereabouts incidents.

During the period, 21 intelligence cases advanced to investigation status and 19 matters were referred to our Legal team.

Top of page

Athlete whereabouts

The ASADA Athlete Whereabouts Policy was revised from September 2010 to take account of practical experience in implementing the IST.

Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are a select group who must give us daily whereabouts information. They also provide additional whereabouts information in the form of a schedule of regular locations (for example, their training, home and/or work locations). This information allows us to conduct no-advance-notice, out-of-competition testing. We have made a significant effort to help RTP athletes meet their whereabouts obligations, including:

• enhancing the Athlete Whereabouts Online System (AWOS) to cater for the changed filing requirements of the IST
• 24/7 online access to AWOS
• a hotline for athletes to update their whereabouts over the phone
• quarterly information packs for all RTP athletes
• reminder letters or emails and/or SMS notifications
• dedicated whereabouts staff to provide assistance to new and existing RTP athletes to file and update their whereabouts.

For 2010–11 these efforts resulted in 100 per cent of RTP athletes submitting their whereabouts information online and 98 per cent of RTP athletes being compliant with their whereabouts obligations.

 

Top of page