DEPARTMENT FOR
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT News Release (151/0) issued by The
Government News Network on 5 December 2007
JOINT DCMS/UK
SPORT PRESS RELEASE
New body set to lead 2012 doping crackdown
The Government has today welcomed recommendations from UK Sport
to modernise the UK's approach to anti-doping, leading to the
creation of an independent National Anti-Doping Organisation
(NADO) with far reaching new powers. The body will be established
in time to lead the fight against doping in sport in the build up
to London 2012.
The recommendations are the result of a comprehensive six-month
review carried out by a Working Group comprising members of UK
Sport's Board and Staff, and the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport.
Key aspects of the recommendations are that the new NADO for the
UK should:
* Have stronger, more effective partnerships with law enforcement
agencies to fight the trafficking and supply of prohibited substances;
* Take responsibility for decisions about whether or not an
athlete has committed a doping offence, and have the authority to
present cases to a disciplinary panel, responsibilities that
currently sit with the national governing bodies of sport.
More details on the new NADO will follow in the New Year, with it
being fully operational well before 2012.
Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe welcomed the recommendations, saying:
"Establishing a new, independent anti-doping organisation is
a natural evolution in the fight against drugs in sport.
"In the same way drug cheats are constantly finding new ways
to beat the system, we have to constantly look at what we do to
catch them. We have to ensure they have no place to hide and these
new powers, implemented by an independent agency, will help us do that.
"This comes on the back of the work I have been leading
across Government to tackle the supply and trafficking of doping
substances and the revised World Anti-Doping Code that we
supported in Madrid last month. By 2012 drug cheats will never
have had it so bad.
"We will now work with UK Sport who will lead the
consultation with the sports community to look at the details of
exactly how the new independent NADO will function and what needs
to be in place to deliver that. UK Sport will report back by the spring."
Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport, said the proposed changes will
have a huge impact on the way anti-doping is tackled in the UK:
"I don't think anyone doubts the quality of UK
Sport's work to date in anti-doping, both in terms of testing
and particularly education. However, these recommendations reflect
the experience to date of UK Sport, and that the global fight
against doping in sport is changing. The small minority of
athletes who are determined to cheat are increasingly
sophisticated in the ways in which they go about their business,
as are the people that supply and manipulate them, and we need to
ensure we adapt our approach accordingly.
"The changes proposed will allow the UK's NADO to
address such people properly for the first time. In addition,
giving it control over the distribution of tests across all
sports, and the power to decide whether or not an athlete has a
case to answer when accused of an anti-doping rule violation will
continue to ensure a robust system is in place for the future.
Once the new NADO is established it will be absolutely right to
continue to review its functions and when a change to more
legislative authority might be required."
The recommendations build on the positive changes and
developments already made by UK Sport since the creation of the
World Anti Doping Code in 2004 and particularly with recent
initiatives over the past year. For example, in July UK Sport
announced the establishment of an independent National Anti-Doping
Panel to hear doping cases on behalf of national governing bodies,
whilst in November a Working Group was set up to consider how law
enforcement agencies can work with UK Sport to combat doping in
sport. Campbell stated that the expanded role of the NADO as a
result of such changes meant it was inevitable that the body
should sit outside its current position within UK Sport:
"The separation of the NADO operation from UK Sport is
essentially a result of the other recommendations," she said.
"We feel it wouldn't be possible to gain maximum impact
from the proposed new investigation, results management and case
presentation powers whilst it remains where it is. The scale of
this type of operation, particularly in terms of the single focus
required, simply means that the role of the NADO has outgrown its
current position within UK Sport."
Notes to Editors
* A summary of the Working Group recommendation is available to
download via the UK Sport website - http://www.uksport.gov.uk
Public enquiries: 020 7211 6020
http://www.culture.gov.uk
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH
http://www.culture.gov.uk