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Deterrence

• Deterrence
• Drug testing
• Education and information
• Implementing effective anti-doping policies
• Research
• Reducing the supply of prohibited drugs

Deterrence

Programs that deter the use of banned doping practices

ASDA’s mission is to deter the use of banned doping practices in sport. ASDA pursues this mission via a number of strategies such as:

• Drug testing
• Providing education and information services
• Working with sporting bodies and other key stakeholders to implement effective anti-doping policies
• Supporting research into the detection of prohibited doping substances and methods
• Helping to reduce the supply of prohibited drugs.

“Random drug testing is enough to deter someone who is thinking about taking steroids.”

Athlete response, ASDA Focus groups, 2004.

Figure 3: Deterrent effect of ASDA’s programs 2000-04

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Drug testing

A core element of ASDA’s work is the implementation of a comprehensive drug testing program across Australian sport.

ASDA conducted 6,615 drug tests on Australian and foreign athletes. Drug testing was targeted at elite level athletes, with a heavy focus during the year on testing athletes likely to represent Australia at the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Testing occurred across 63 sports, with 3,796 tests being government funded while 2,819 tests were purchased by 41 clients on a fee-for-service basis. Of the 6,615 tests, 4,172 were conducted OOC while 2,443 were conducted in-competition.

Major clients that purchased ASDA’s testing and education services included the National Rugby League, Australian Football League, Australian Rugby Union, Cricket Australia, Rugby World Cup Ltd and WADA. ASDA also conducted testing at a number of international sporting events during the year, including the Rugby World Cup. This level of commitment, particularly from the major professional codes, is an important strategy to protect the integrity of these sports and places Australia at the forefront in the fight against doping.

ASDA also provided testing and education services under contract to the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and West Australian governments. This work was instrumental in developing a strong anti-doping culture within state jurisdictions.

A full breakdown of ASDA’s drug-testing statistics is at Appendix B.

Under contracts negotiated with some IFs and WADA, ASDA was not provided with copies of all analysis results as reported by ASDTL. To maintain transparency and public confidence in doping control, it is important that the Agency, as an independent anti-doping organisation, is in a position to report on all test program results. Under the Code it is envisaged that this will occur at all times in the future.

No Advance Notice drug testing

“The testing (No Advance Notice) is effective because you just rock up anywhere, and that is a deterrent.”

Athlete response, ASDA focus groups, 2004.

ASDA conducted 72 percent of its 3,796 government funded tests with No Advance Notice. This represented the highest proportion of No Advance Notice tests ever conducted by the Agency and is a significant increase from last year’s result of 52 percent.

This form of testing, especially when conducted OOC, is the most effective deterrent to doping as it minimises opportunities for an athlete to manipulate his or her sample and can be conducted during periods where doping may have the greatest performance benefits. This means an athlete can be tested anytime, anywhere without warning.

For No Advance Notice testing to occur, ASDA must be able to locate the athlete without forewarning. Once an athlete is notified they have been selected for a drug test, they are then chaperoned by a doping control official until the passing of the sample.

For no-advance notice testing to occur, ASDA must be able to locate the athlete without forewarning.

Despite its significant deterrent value, No Advance Notice testing is extremely resource intensive. Inadequate athlete whereabouts information is one of the reasons for the high cost of No Advance Notice OOC testing.

ASDA met all other target parameters of its planned drug testing program.

“It is good if you have a team of testers come over (overseas), like five or six – and you go like geez they are serious.”

Athlete response, ASDA focus groups, 2004.

Blood testing

In February 2001 ASDA became the first National Anti-Doping Organisation to establish a domestic blood-testing program.

The Agency completed 502 government funded blood tests across 16 sports, with another 79 tests purchased by a fee-paying client. Of these tests, 407 were conducted OOC, 223 with No Advance Notice. Tests were targeted at sports and disciplines considered to be at most risk of certain doping practices such as erythropoietin (EPO) use.

ASDA employed a combined blood and urine test developed for the 2000 Olympics (the Sydney Protocol) to detect the use of EPO and other related substances.

ASDA reviewed its blood testing program to consider enhancements as a result of new research into the detection of substances in blood. The review examined a range of scientific, legal, policy and costing issues associated with the collection and analysis of blood samples from athletes.

It is anticipated that ASDA will implement the review’s recommendations in 2004-05.

ASDA is one of the few anti-doping organisations in the world to operate a domestic blood testing program.

“Just recently they went back and did retrospective testing, that is an amazing deterrent. Because you guys are always catching up…”

Athlete response, ASDA focus groups, 2004.

Athlete whereabouts information systems

“I think about ASDA when I fill out the (athlete whereabouts) form – just so I don’t make a mistake.”

Athlete response, ASDA focus groups, 2004.

ASDA conducted a major review of the collection and management of athlete whereabouts information. This information is needed to conduct an effective athlete OOC drug testing program.

The review examined key elements of the Code and the management of athlete whereabouts information within Australia. ASDA produced a detailed discussion paper on the issues arising from this research. The paper was then used as a basis for discussion within Government and at two forums involving NFs and at a separate forum involving elite athletes.

ASDA will implement new arrangements for the collection and management of athlete whereabouts information in 2004-05 consistent with its requirements under the Code.

The primary change will be that athletes provide their whereabouts information directly to ASDA rather than to their NF. ASDA will then be required to pass some of this information on to WADA and relevant IFs.

This review also led to the development of policies relating to the management of missed tests by athletes. These changes will be implemented in 2004-05.

Information Technology (IT) upgrade

ASDA undertook a major upgrade of its drug testing management system (Eugene). The system, developed and installed in 1999, is a sophisticated web-based application that supports the management of drug testing in line with international standards. USADA, the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency (NZSDA), and the DFSC also used Eugene under contract.

The system upgrade was undertaken to improve Eugene’s functionality in relation to selecting athletes for testing, the management of test sessions and associated data entry, the planning of tests and various administration tools. The upgrade was jointly funded by ASDA, USADA, NZSDA and the DFSC.

ASDA’s drug test management system Eugene enhanced the effectiveness of Australia’s drug testing program.

ISO audit

ASDA’s Drug Testing Program and Quality Management System are certified against ISO 9001: 2000 requirements are consistent with the International Standard for Testing, which came into effect on 1 January 2004.

ASDA undertook its annual third party audit against the ISO standard and the ISDC with no major issues identified.

In addition, the Agency conducted 12 internal audits focused on its drug testing program. This commitment to internal and external third party auditing is essential in maintaining a high quality drug testing program.

Managing drug test results

“If your sport has had a positive (test) the issue becomes pretty topical.”

Athlete response, ASDA focus groups, 2004.

ASDA recorded 24 entries from 19 athletes on its RNE. Fourteen athletes recorded positive test results while five athletes failed to comply when notified of a drug test.

Fourteen athletes recorded positive test results while five athletes failed to comply when notified of a drug test.

These results are consistent with statistics from the past four years. A range of prohibited substances were detected, including anabolic agents, stimulants and the first positive test result by an Australian athlete for the peptide hormone EPO.

These results illustrate Australia is far from immune to doping in sport.

Entries on the RNE record positive test results for the presence of a prohibited substance(s) in a sample or failing to comply with a request to provide a sample. A breakdown of the RNE entries for 2003-04 is at Appendix C.

ASDA recorded one adverse test result on its List of International Incidences (LII).

The LII records positive test results or failures to comply with a request for a sample from an Australian athlete competing in an internationally sanctioned event or an international athlete training or competing in Australia. A breakdown of LII results is at Appendix D. Information relating to sanctions for RNE and LII entries that were listed as To Be Announced (TBA) in previous years is at Appendix E.

A number of these cases attracted public attention, the most prominent being that of an Australian weightlifter entered on the RNE for failing to comply with a request for a sample in June 2004.

The athlete in question appealed ASDA’s decision to enter her name on the RNE to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and, subsequently, the Federal Court of Australia.

The AAT and Federal Court upheld ASDA’s decision. Since 1990 there have been no successful appeals against ASDA’s drug testing processes.

The Agency was involved in presenting evidence to a significantly higher number of cases heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) throughout the year.

Figure 4: Adverse drug test result trends 1998-2004

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Education and information

ASDA continued to educate its target groups regarding anti-doping issues. Education is a vital element of ASDA’s Strategic Plan and the broader fight against doping in sport.

The ASDA education program is:

• Based on behaviour-change models and principles
• Based on evidence
• Responsive to feedback
• Consistent with the Code.

ASDA’s education program equipped Australia’s elite athletes and their support staff with accurate information to make informed decisions regarding doping.

In addition to this, one of ASDA’s key aims in its education program is to increase the perception of the threat of detection in athletes who are, or who are contemplating, doping.

One of ASDA’s key aims in its education program is to increase the perception of threat in athletes who are, or who are contemplating, doping.

Throughout 2003-04 ASDA:

• Conducted 274 face-to face presentations. These presentations reached 7,706 athletes and their support staff.
• Processed 5,865 calls through the ASDA Hotline service. Seventy-seven percent of athletes and support staff were aware of the free call ASDA Hotline service making it the most recognised of ASDA’s education resources.
• Conducted four athlete focus group sessions to obtain first-hand feedback from elite athletes regarding ASDA’s services. Information gathered at these sessions was used to plan ASDA’s 2004-05 education program and indicated that the vast majority of athletes were aware of ASDA’s education services.
• Continued the Supplements Information Scheme to provide athletes with more accurate information regarding the status of supplements in sport. By the end of 2003-04, 38 supplement products (compared with two products at the start of each year) were listed on the ASDA website as having been independently analysed for prohibited substances and that their manufacturers were willing to guarantee their product’s authenticity.
• Initiated the Sports Medicine Anti-Doping Accreditation program. This program operated with the support of Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) and aimed to increase the awareness of anti-doping issues within Australia’s sports medicine community. Seventy sports medical personnel had registered with the program as at 30 June 2004.
• Published the Anti-Doping Information Handbook 2004 featuring an updated list of permitted medications compliant with the Code’s 2004 Prohibited List. ASDA distributed 3,679 handbooks to athletes and support staff.
• Developed and published ASDA’s new Anti-Doping Information Card. This foldout information card outlines the drug testing process, athletes’ rights and responsibilities, common permitted medications and the classes of prohibited substances. It superseded ASDA’s drug testing brochure and medication guide in January 2004 and was fully updated with information consistent with the Code. ASDA distributed 59,807 brochures, medication guides and Anti-Doping Information Cards. The Agency provides the Anti-Doping-Information Card to every athlete it drug tests as well as distributing them at other opportunities such as presentation sessions.
• Distributed four information mail-outs comprising personalised letters and the ASDA newsletter to more than 3,500 elite athletes, coaches, sports doctors and administrators. These mail outs helped keep Australian sport up to date with the latest anti-doping issues and achieved high-levels of recall at athlete focus groups.

Code and Olympic athlete education

ASDA’s education activities also helped facilitate the implementation of the Code into Australia’s sports community and helped prepare Australia’s Olympic athletes for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

ASDA worked to ensure that relevant stakeholders were aware of the Code and Olympic-related anti-doping information by:

• Conducting eight educational forums for NFs in conjunction with the ASC
• Conducting 138 face to face presentations with athletes and support personnel from Olympic sports
• Helping prepare a series of electronic bulletins which were emailed to more than 60 NFs
• Incorporating Code information into ASDA’s quarterly Anti-Doping Information Newsletter, which was mailed to approximately 3,500 athletes, coaches and support staff
• Placing articles in key industry publications targeted at coaches and sports medicine practitioners
• Supporting the AOC in delivering anti-doping education to all Australian Olympic team members.

Figure 5: Client awareness of ASDA’s education services

Usage of ASDA’s website increased by 71 percent in 2003-04.

Figure 6: Distribution of ASDA’s education resources

Ninety-eight percent of client’s were satisfied with agency services such as ASDA’s Hotline.

Public communication

ASDA communicated with other key stakeholders, such as media, to further enhance the deterrent effect of its programs and to maintain public confidence in the Agency’s activities.

The Agency managed a number of public issues and promoted a greater understanding of ASDA’s role to a broad audience. Key external communication activities were:

• Distribution of nine media releases, up 50 percent from 2002-2003
• Four newsletters mailed to more than 3,500 recipients, including media contacts on a quarterly basis
• Participation in and, in some cases, financial support of, the:
  • SMA national conference
  • Australian New Zealand Sports Law Association annual conference
  • International Rugby Conference, Brisbane, November 2003
  • International Privacy Commissioners’ Conference, Sydney, September 2003
  • Queensland University of Technology International Public Health Conference, November 2003

The agency managed a number of public issues and promoted a greater understanding of ASDA’s role to a broad audience.

ASDA communicated with media organisations, to facilitate access to accurate information and to better inform public debate on doping issues. ASDA processed more than 200 media inquiries, conducted 70 media interviews and received approximately 3,000 anti-doping related media clips.

Intense levels of media interest surrounded several high profile cases during the year placing significant demand on Agency resources.

Intense levels of media interest surrounded several high profile cases during the year placing significant demand on Agency resources.

ASDA commissioned, for staff recruitment purposes, $24,130 in paid advertising and related recruitment services.

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Implementing effective anti-doping policies

Adopting the Code

The implementation of the Code was a watershed in the international fight against doping.

In March 2003 the international sporting movement accepted the Code, and all Olympic sports were required to adopt it prior to the Athens Olympics. With the support of government, ASDA undertook activities to enable it to become compliant with the Code’s requirements.

With the support of the government, ASDA undertook a number of major activities to enable it to become compliant with the Code’s requirements.

Assisting DCITA with amending ASDA’s legislative framework was a prime focus of this work. Australia’s Parliament passed amendments in March 2004. These amendments came into effect on 30 July 2004 and involved changes to ASDA’s Act, Regulations and Orders that will enable ASDA to:

• publicly name athletes who are entered on the RNE following the completion of all relevant hearing processes
• deal with new Anti-Doping Rule Violations relating to athletes who deliberately evade testing, who tamper with ASDA’s processes, or who fail to provide ASDA with accurate whereabouts information to allow No Advance Notice drug testing to occur
• obtain and disseminate additional drug testing information to NFs and IFs
• recognise WADA and the various international standards outlined in the Code.

In addition, ASDA undertook a major review of its existing processes and systems to identify what changes were necessary to meet the Code’s requirements. This identified the need for a number of important changes to existing processes and systems that should be completed in 2004-05.

ASDA, in conjunction with the ASC, worked extensively with NFs to help them understand the Code’s requirements and adopt Code compliant policies.

Anti-Doping Assessment Process

The Anti-Doping Assessment Process, established in 2002, involves bi-annual audits of NFs’ compliance with their anti-doping responsibilities as set out in the ASC’s funding terms and conditions.

The Anti-Doping Assessment Process is administered by ASDA and the ASC.

This process raised NFs’ awareness of their anti-doping responsibilities, assisted them in identifying areas of high performance and areas needing improvement.

The assessment process involved audits in August 2003 of 61 sports and in February 2004 of 49 sports.

The majority of sports were assessed to be performing satisfactorily. However a number of sports were assessed as requiring close monitoring. One sport was assessed to be failing to meet its anti-doping requirements. In July 2004 this sport responded to the assessment results by implementing a number of initiatives proposed by ASDA and the ASC to meet its anti-doping requirements. ASDA is continuing to closely monitor the sport concerned.

The areas of greatest difficulty for NFs were the collection and managment of athlete whereabouts information and implementing effective education programs.

ASDA will review this assessment process in 2004-05 to reduce resource requirements and improve NF accountability.

Figure 7: ASDA’s client engagement

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Research

ASDA continued to monitor the research initiatives of other organisations into new detection methodologies for doping practices and to advocate for improved analytical techniques. This included working closely with the Australian Government Analytical Laboratories (now the National Measurement Institute of Australia) and other leading bodies on research into:

• Detecting the abuse of human growth hormone in sport
• Detecting the abuse of methods to enhance oxygen transfer
• Improving the detection of EPO use
• Further improving detection methods for substances such as anabolic steroids.

ASDA also collaborated with the Centre for Behavioural Studies, Curtin University, in an Australian Research Council funded quantitative study of athlete attitude and behaviour towards doping in sport. The survey results of more than 1,200 athletes will be available in 2004-05.

Australian Anti-Doping Research Panel (ADRP)

ASDA continued to be an ADRP member along with the ASC, DCITA and independent experts. Formed in 2001 this panel oversaw the distribution of anti-doping research funding from the government’s Backing Australia’s Sporting Ability strategy. The ADRP monitored the status of research projects that had received funds, and allocated further funds to new projects.

Full details regarding the ADRP are online <www.dcita.gov.au/sport>.

Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Ethics Committee

ASDA fulfilled its role as an anti-doping consultant with the AIS Ethics Committee. The Agency provided technical advice on a range of anti-doping matters and assisted in ensuring AIS research projects conformed to anti-doping requirements.

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Obtaining information to enhance ASDA’s deterrence program

ASDA maintained a close working relationship with the Australian Customs Service (ACS).

The ACS is able to provide information to ASDA when it detects athletes, coaches or athlete support personnel in possession of, or carrying, illegal sports performance-enhancing substances into Australia.

In 2003-04 the ACS advised ASDA, under Section 67AA of the ASDA Act 1990 and Section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985, of six instances where illegal performance-enhancing substances were detected at Australian ports or borders. ASDA used this information to inform its drug testing program.

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