As hosts of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the eyes of the Commonwealth if not the world, will be on Australia during March. The athletics events during these Games promise to be of an extremely high standard, and while the Games have already officially begun, the athletics events will commence on 19 March. This event provides a good chance to continue our look at IAAF Member Federations and their anti-doping activities – in this case we concentrate on Australia.
Athletics Australia has employed former Olympic 400m hurdles finalist Rohan Robinson as their High Performance assistant. A large portion of Robinson’s time is spent coordinating the Federations anti-doping activities and ensuring they meet the expectations placed upon them by the IAAF. Robinson has helped the IAAF take a look at the Federation, their anti-doping efforts and the steps they are taking to ensure that Australian athletes are deterred from taking prohibited substances.
The anti-doping program in Australia is organised and conducted by an independent agency known as the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA)*, which was established in 1990 and has been conducting testing and education in Australia since that time. Robinson notes that continuing the good relationship with ASDA is extremely important to ensure that Athletics Australia is adequately meeting its anti-doping obligations. “I maintain a very close working relationship with the people at ASDA. I meet regularly with their track and field contact to monitor the Registered Testing pool and identify any potential issues before they may arise”.
In-competition testing on Australia athletes is comprehensive covering a wide range of events from the IAAF Grand Prix meet in Melbourne, the National championships as well as the National Series meets and the state championships. Robinson also notes that ASDA maintains the right to test any athlete at any time or at any competition, which creates a significant deterrent to any athlete considering using prohibited substances.
According to figures from the ASDA’s 04/05 annual report, there were a total of 411 tests on the sport of athletics in the last 12 months. This large number of tests is an encouraging sign that Athletics Australia and ASDA are making a serious effort to ensure that their athletes remain drug free. Additionally it is also important to note that more than 300 of these tests were conducted out-of-competition which is considered the most effective form of testing.
Looming large on the Australian athletics scene is the up coming Commonwealth Games (15-26 March 2006) which is to be staged in Melbourne the home town of Athletics Australia. There is no doubt that drug testing of Australian athletes will increase in the lead up to the games. “We hope to stage the best Commonwealth Games ever in Melbourne, free from drug scandal or any negativity. Athletics Australia and ASDA are committed to a comprehensive testing regime that will see all members of the Australian team and shadow squad tested during the lead up to the Games. This will show the world that we are serious about anti-doping and it will have an educational pass on effect to our athletes keeping them all up-to-date with the current testing methods and in direct contact with ASDA”, says Robinson
Robinson also spends time ensuring that Australian athletes are educated about anti-doping issues including their rights and responsibilities during the drug testing process. “ASDA are invited to attend and present educational information to all major gatherings of our athletes from junior teams and camps right up to senior team functions. We help distribute information and educate our young athletes all the way through their development and into senior ranks. Due to the ever-changing playing field of the anti-doping world we must continue to keep our athletes up-to-date throughout their careers”.
Robinson is pleased that through these efforts of ongoing education, it is clear that most athletes are understand and are committed to the anti-doping program. “Our athletes are pretty good at providing us with information and producing samples for the collection officers, I guess no one wants to have their training session interrupted by a tap on the shoulder but I believe they understand what's involved and that it's all part of the game in the modern world of international sport. I find that the more professional the athlete, the more likely they are to just do what is required of them without complaint. I am in a fortunate position having been on national teams with a number of our current athletes, although this number is reduced every year I have good working relationships with a great deal of our athletes…”, says Robinson.
As with most anti-doping programs there are daily challenges faced by administrators in the sport. Robinson highlights that, “Maintaining a comprehensive database of current Athlete Whereabouts information is a big job. As is trying to educate our athletes to realise what is expected of them as elite athletes and ensuring we keep them protected and in full compliance with ASDA, WADA and the IAAF’s anti-doping regulations”.
In a similar fashion, Robinson believes that his athletes find maintaining and updating their whereabouts the hardest aspect of the anti-doping requirements placed upon them. “The provision of whereabouts information is always going to be hard for the athletes, trying to predict when and where they are going to be training 3 months in advance is next to impossible. The athletes understand why the system is in place but would appreciate a simpler solution, although not sure what that solution would be”, says Robinson.
When asked what the IAAF can do to help or assist Athletics Australia with their anti-doping needs, Robinson stressed the need to keep up with the ever increasing technologies and the idea that the cheaters are always one step ahead of the testers. “We look to the IAAF and the other anti-doping organisations for direction. We need these organisations to be at the cutting edge of new technologies and research. Athletics Australia will continue to lead by example in the fight against doping and will continue to look to the IAAF, and WADA as the leading international bodies and information resources”.
* Note: At the time of publication ASDA has just changed their name to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASDADA). This change brings with it new and additional roles for ASADA.