May 24, 2008 (Ottawa, Ontario) – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) completed another record number of doping control tests over the fiscal year, a total of 3,551 from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 (see Table 1). The CCES also helped strengthen the impact of doping control across the board by helping other organizations implement doping control programs in their own jurisdictions. New anti doping programs have been developed for a semi-professional league, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regional anti-doping organization, and Canada’s own organizing committee for the Vancouver 2010 Games.

“Canadian athletes have an interest in the expansion of doping control into new territory, and in the reinforcement of existing programs,” said Paul Melia, CEO of the CCES. “Our stats prove that the vast majority are playing clean — and the CCES is committed to ensuring that they are competing on a level playing field.”

The CCES signed an agreement with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in 2006 to assist with the development and implementation of their new Drug Education and Anti-Doping Program. The focus this year was placed on education, with all players in the Western, Ontario, and Quebec leagues completing their education requirement. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) continued its testing program which was initiated in 2005. It is anticipated that testing will go into full swing for all three leagues in the 2008-2009 CHL hockey season.

The CCES is committed to helping establish regional anti doping organizations (RADO), which help nations pool their resources to conduct international-calibre doping control. Following the successful work done with the Caribbean RADO in 2006, the CCES helped train doping control officers (DCOs) for the new RADO in West Africa in 2007.

CCES continues to work closely with the anti-doping team of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). An exciting landmark last quarter was the first of many VANOC test events that proved both the facility and the doping control process, completed in February at the alpine ski venue in Whistler.

Also in preparation for the games now less than two years away, the CCES has recruited 38 new DCOs, and in March ran a full re-certification workshop for its contingent of 88 DCOs, including training in new blood sample collection procedures that comply with Canadian Occupational Health and Safety legislation. The workshop was attended by delegates from anti-doping organizations in England, Bermuda, St. Kits, Jamaica, and Chinese Taipei, a common practice that has the effect of standardizing the training of DCOs internationally.

Further contributing to WADA’s efforts to harmonize anti doping standards globally, the CCES commented on each stage of the revision of the World Anti Doping Code, ensuring that Canadian interests were served in the final version adopted in November. To remain compliant with the Code, the CCES will be conducting extensive consultations with the sport community to revise the Canadian Anti- Doping Program (CADP). All sports must adopt the new CADP by January 2009.

The CCES administers the Sport Canada-funded CADP on behalf of the sport community. From April 2007 to March 2008, 2,899 tests were conducted on Canadian athletes (see Table 3). Once again, the vast majority of Canadian athletes (99.3%) proved their commitment to ethical sport with only 20 anti-doping rule violations reported within the domestic program (see Table 2). “This is further evidence that Canadian athletes are among the cleanest in the world,” said Mr. Melia.

In support of the international nature of competitive sport, the CCES also conducts doping control on a fee-for-service basis for various national and international sport organizations (see Table 4). At international events held in Canada, the CCES conducted 479 doping controls; highlights last quarter included the Viessmann FIS Cross Country World Cup in Canmore, AB, and the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Quebec City. On behalf of national sport organizations, the CCES conducted 77 tests for sports such as equestrian, bodybuilding, and judo. The CCES also did testing on behalf of WADA (67 tests) and the Association of National Anti-Doping Organizations (ANADO) (39 tests).

To help athletes subject to doping control understand the requirements they face, the CCES provides a strong education service, equipping Canadian athletes at all levels of sport with accessible, easy-tounderstand information in forms they can embrace, such as online learning and other web-based tools.

For example, a group of registered testing pool athletes are required to submit and update their whereabouts information. Online submission through the Anti Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) has increased from 32% to 45% of these athletes over the fiscal year, indicating that athletes find it convenient. Another online tool, the Global Drug Information Database (DID Global, at www.didglobal.com) gives athletes instant answers on whether a particular Canadian brand is prohibited in sport and remains very popular at approximately 30,000 inquiries per year.

In addition, doping control education has gone online. Over 11,000 university student-athletes completed and passed a course as part of their eligibility to play. Similar courses were rolled out to Pan-American and Parapanamerican Games athletes, college athletes, and CHL players, with over 17,000 athletes fulfilling their education requirement online. The new format allows for rapid course development, progress tracking, and a consistent and testable method of knowledge transfer.

The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to foster ethical sport for all Canadians, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations.