Anti-Doping

There are many organisations that work hard to protect sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is responsible for leading the collaborative world-wide campaign for clean sport. Established in 1999 as an independent agency and funded by both sport and governments, it manages the development of the World Anti-Doping Code. The Code aims to harmonise all anti-doping policies ensuring that athletes and athlete support personnel are treated fairly and consistently.

The aims of the 2015 Code and WADA are to:

• protect the Athletes’ fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport and thus promote health, fairness and equality for Athletes worldwide, and
• ensure harmonised, coordinated and effective anti-doping programmes at the international and national level with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping

In the UK, Lacrosse Scotland works in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) to prevent doping.

UKAD is the national anti-doping agency for the UK, dedicated to protecting a culture of clean sport – it achieves this through implementing education and testing programmes, gathering and developing intelligence, and prosecuting those found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

UKAD is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through the implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.

UKAD – 100% Me is UK Anti-Doping’s education programme for athletes – designed to provide information resources, education sessions and general advice to athletes throughout their sporting careers. There is also a 100% me Clean Sport app available for Android & Apple users to download from  the usual apps stores.

The 2015 Code outlines ten Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).  Athletes, and Athlete Support Personnel (ASP), may receive a ban from sport if any of the following ADRVs are committed:

1. Returning a positive test
2. Using, or attempting to use, a banned substance or method
3. Refusal or failure to provide a sample when requested
4. Tampering, or attempting to tamper, with any part of the testing process
5. Possession of a banned substance or method
6. Trafficking, or attempted trafficking, of any banned substance or method
7. Administering, or attempted administering, of a banned substance or method to an athlete; or encouragement, aiding and/or covering up of any involvement in an ADRV
8. Receiving any combination of three filing failures and/or missed tests in a time period of 12 months (for athletes who are part of the National Registered Testing Pool)
9. Complicity (new from 1 Jan 2015)
10. Prohibited Association (new from 1 Jan 2015)

Consequences

Under the 2015 Code, a minimum four-year ban from sport will apply to those who are found to be deliberately cheating and breaking the rules.

The 2015 Code has little sympathy for carelessness – for inadvertent doping, athletes are more likely to face a two-year ban from sport.

All athletes, coaches and athlete support personnel need to make sure they have sufficient anti-doping knowledge to avoid committing an ADRV and receiving a ban from sport.

As a signatory to the WADA Code, World Lacrosse is committed to clean sport and anti-doping

in all levels of lacrosse. One of the most effective ways in which to achieve this is through athlete education.

As part of World Lacrosse’s Anti-Doping Programme, all participants who wish to participate in World Lacrosse competitions (senior or junior) are required to successfully complete Anti Doping education via WADA’s online e-learning platform (ADeL).

The Athlete Learning Program about Health and Anti-Doping (ALPHA) gives athletes information about the dangers of doping and the importance of anti-doping controls and promotes positive attitudes to avoiding doping:

• WADA ADeL

Lacrosse Scotland requires all participating athletes, coaches and management staff to complete this programme and have an up to date certificate prior to participating in any World event. Further information can be found within the Lacrosse Scotland Anti-Doping Education Notice to World Teams.

Before taking any medication (whether from a doctor or bought over the counter) athletes must check to make sure it does not contain any banned substances. Medications can be checked online at Global DRO. It is important to note that medications bought in one country may contain different ingredients to the same branded medication in another country.

Illicit Substances:

WADA lists several illicit substances on the Prohibited List. Lacrosse Scotland does not condone their use whether they are abused to confer an advantage or used recreationally. Positive testing for such substances can and will be managed like any substance on the Prohibited List.

Athletes are strongly advised to be very cautious if they choose to take any supplement such as vitamin tablets, energy drinks, or sport-nutrition formulas. This is because there is no guarantee that any supplement is free from banned substances.

Before making a decision to use supplements, all athletes are advised to:

• Assess the need to use supplements by seeking advice from a medical professional or nutritionist on their need to use supplement products
• Assess the risks associated with supplements and undertake thorough research of all supplement products they are considering taking
• Assess the consequences to their careers – they could receive a four-year ban

However, supplement risks can be reduced by:

• undertaking thorough internet research
• only using batch-tested products
• checking on Informed Sport (which is a risk minimisation programme) that the supplement has been batch tested
• visiting the UKAD website for further information

Visit the UKAD website for further information including information on the Informed Sport programme, which provides a batch-testing service for supplement products.

All banned substances and methods in Code-compliant sports are outlined in the Prohibited List, which is updated at the beginning of every calendar year, but may also be updated throughout the year. The latest Prohibited List can be found on the WADA website.

The 2021 Prohibited List is here.

Do you need a TUE?

• Check to see if any medications you are using are prohibited by using the Global DRO website. If the medication is not prohibited, you can start using the prescribed medication or treatment
• If the medication is prohibited you should check with your doctor to see if there are any alternative medications available
• If the medication is prohibited and there are no permitted alternatives, you need to complete a TUE application to World Lacrosse (typically requested by World Lacrosse ahead of major World Lacrosse tournaments and events)

Athletes in our Senior and Junior National Squads are required to submit TUE applications to World Lacrosse.

World Lacrosse will provide forms and timelines to squad management to be shared with athletes ahead of competition.

Further information on TUE, guidance notes, how long a TUE is valid (depends on the medical condition) and other useful resources can be found in the TUE section of the UKAD website as well as on the WADA website.

Athletes should feel prepared and know their rights and responsibilities when they are notified to be tested by a Chaperone or Doping Control Officer. When selected for testing, athletes should take a representative with them to the Doping Control Station.

A urine test will follow these main steps:

• Notification
• Reporting to Doping Control Station
• Providing a sample
• Recording and certifying sample information

UK Anti-Doping recommends that athletes follow their normal hydration routines if selected for testing.

Athletes need to be prepared to provide details of any substances they have taken – this needs to be written on the Doping Control form. Athletes should report any concerns they have about the process or the equipment on the Doping Control form.

Athletes can find out more about testing, including their rights and responsibilities, in the Athlete Zone or by downloading the Clean Sport App from their app store.

WADA Say NO!