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| Letter of
Transmittal
Australia's Anti-Doping Framework |
DeterrencePrograms that deter the use of banned doping practices Drug Testing | Education | Research Drug Testing
IntroductionASDA operated a cost effective, sports specific and flexible drug testing program. The Agency’s program covered 59 sports, state level testing, blood testing and the 2001 Goodwill Games. ASDA conducted 6 869 tests compared to 6 194 tests in 2000–2001. This number of tests represents the largest program ASDA has ever conducted and does not include the coordination and management of WADA’s worldwide international drug testing program (4 500 tests). A full breakdown of the ASDA testing program is at Appendix I. The Agency conducted 3 849 government-funded tests (3 492 in 2000–2001). Fee-for-service testing increased to 3 020 tests (2 702 in 2000–2001). Major clients were the National Rugby League, Australian Football League, Australian Rugby Union and WADA. The 2001 Goodwill Games made up 13 percent of total fee-for-service testing. ASDA’s conducted 4 383 out-of-competition tests, while in-competition testing totalled 2 486 tests. Figure 7: ASDA Drug Testing Numbers
Government-Funded No Advance Notice TestingSixty-six percent of all government-funded tests were conducted with No Advance Notice. This represents a significant increase of emphasis on this type of testing. A No Advance Notice test is where a Doping Control Officer notifies an athlete of a drug test in person. The athlete is then chaperoned by drug testing staff until they report to a doping control station and provide a sample. No Advance Notice testing is widely recognised as the most effective deterrent to doping because it minimises opportunities for an athlete to manipulate the integrity of his or her sample. While this method of testing was the most effective deterrent to doping, it was also the most resource intensive. A contributing factor to the high cost of No Advance Notice testing was the variable quality of athlete whereabouts information. ASDA achieved 94 percent of its targeted government-funded, No Advance Notice, out-of-compettion tests with 1 355 completed from 1 443 planned. The shortfall of six percent was within the Agency’s target range and was primarily due to poor athlete whereabouts information provided by external parties. Blood TestingASDA conducted blood testing regularly and continued implementing the Sydney Protocol – the only validated methodology for detecting the use of EPO and other related substances. ASDA’s successful integration of blood testing into its national program kept the Agency at the forefront of world anti-doping efforts. ASDA completed 559 blood tests from 586 planned – a 95 percent
success rate. The Agency conducted 415 of its blood tests out-of-competition.
The vast majority of these tests were government-funded. The shortfall
in tests completed was again due to poor athlete whereabouts information. ASDA was the first national anti-doping agency in the world to implement a comprehensive EPO testing program. Figure 8: Government-Funded No Advance Notice & Blood Targeted versus Completed Tests
Pre-Commonwealth Games TestingASDA focused its government-funded out-of-competition testing on Australian athletes striving to compete at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. Ninety-three percent of Australian Commonwealth Games team athletes were tested at least once in the ten months prior to Manchester 2002. Goodwill Games TestingASDA provided drug testing services for the 2001 Goodwill Games to ensure an effective anti-doping system was in place for this high profile sporting event. Staged in Brisbane, the 2001 Goodwill Games was one of the world’s largest multi-sport festivals with approximately 1 300 athletes from twelve sports. The Goodwill Games was ASDA’s biggest and most successful drug testing mission since testing prior to Sydney 2000. The Agency conducted 382 tests – 24 being blood tests for EPO. Drug Testing InitiativesASDA introduced several initiatives that helped streamline the sample collection process and improve overall deterrence. These initiatives were:
Special Operational IssuesThe Agency recorded 25 entries from 20 athletes to its Register of Notifiable Events (RNE). Seventeen athletes recorded positive test results and three athletes failed to comply when notified for a drug test. Three athletes made a submission to contest their entry onto ASDA’s Register. The Agency determined there was no reason to invalidate the test results and they were subsequently entered onto the RNE. An athlete involved in one of these cases appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The tribunal found in ASDA’s favour. The AAT also heard an adjourned case from 2000–2001 and again found in ASDA’s favour. Five entries from five athletes were made to ASDA’s List of International Incidences. All five athletes recorded positive test results. A summary of entries to the RNE appears at Appendix J. Outstanding sanction information relating to four RNE entries reported in 2000–2001 is at Appendix K. A summary of entries to the List of International Incidences appears at Appendix L. NSO Anti-Doping Assessment ProcessASDA and the ASC conducted an NSO Anti-Doping Assessment Process. This process assessed the performance of NSOs against the anti-doping requirements of the ASC’s General Funding Terms and Conditions. NSOs play an integral role in Australia’s anti-doping system by providing ASDA and the ASC with information regarding:
NSOs also help educate athletes on anti-doping issues and procedures. As part of the assessment process ASDA and the ASC aim to help NSOs improve their anti-doping systems where necessary. The NSO Anti-Doping Assessment Process will occur every six months to ensure compliance with funding requirements and that Australia’s anti-doping system remains effective. |
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