June 07, 2013 Ottawa, Ontario – In its fourth quarter, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) held a town hall-style meeting with a group of high-profile, elite Canadian athletes to discuss the ongoing issue of doping in sport and how anti-doping programs can be improved.
During the meeting, the athletes discussed their views on the current prevalence of doping activity both in Canada and internationally, the effectiveness of various anti-doping strategies, and improvements that could be made in the fight against doping.
“In the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, the necessity for collaboration between elite athletes and anti-doping organizations has never been more obvious,” said Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES. “However, the input we receive from all levels of the sport community is invaluable and helps steer us toward a sport system that is fair, safe and open to everyone. We encourage athletes, coaches, support personnel and the public to contact the CCES whenever they have suggestions, concerns about ethical issues, or knowledge about doping practices in Canadian sport. The Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) was developed to help maintain a level playing field. The more feedback we get about the CADP, the more we can customize it to fit the needs of the athletes it was designed to protect.”
After the town hall meeting concluded, an athlete recorded a testimonial video about the importance of competing clean and living the True Sport Principles. The video can be viewed here.
Athletes interested in recording similar videos promoting clean sport can contact info@cces.ca .
Other Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport highlights for the January-March 2013 quarter include:
World Anti-Doping Code Review Finalized
Over the past year, the CCES consulted the sport community for their input into changes to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code). Feedback was compiled and submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) by March 1. The revised Code will come into force on January 1, 2015. For more information, visit here.
Succeed Clean Program for Children and Youth
The CCES, in partnership with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and the Kitchener Rangers, launched the Succeed Clean outreach program on February 27. The program was developed to tackle the issue of appearance- and performance-enhancing drug use by children and youth. Over the next two years, peer mentors will work with high school students to promote clean sport and ethical decision-making.
True Sport Website Updated
The True Sport website underwent a complete redesign, making information more easily accessible to True Sport members and the public at large.
True Sport Champions Advise Local Ringette Team
In March, the CCES hosted a True Sport Champions in-field training session in Ottawa. During the session, new and veteran Champions helped a ringette team develop its own True Sport Agreement – which forms the basis for teaching positive values and developing good character. Together they determined how the team will treat each other and those outside of the team.
Doping Control Program Statistics
The CCES conducts testing under the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and also provides doping control services for various national and international clients. The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter. Numbers include tests that are planned, coordinated, and/or collected by the CCES.
CCES Quarterly Statistics details here.
Fee-for-service
The CCES conducted 329 urine and 109 blood tests for various clients, including two international events held in Canada:
International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard World Championship in Quebec City, QC
International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in London, ON
Violations and Sanctions
There were seven anti-doping rule violations this quarter, five of which were for the presence of anabolic agents and garnered two-year periods of ineligibility. The remaining two athletes each received a two-month sanction for the presence of cannabinoids.
Athlete Services Statistics
The CCES supports athletes subject to doping control by providing education, processing medical exemptions, and responding to substance inquiries. The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter.
Athlete Services
Substance Inquiries – (email/telephone) 102, (Global DRO) 17,789
Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) applications processed 31
Education (certificates) 1,200
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is an independent, national, not-for profit organization. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. We are committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.