Lausanne, SwitzerlandThe IAAF World AntiDoping Symposium is continuing to prove itself as a successful and vital meeting of international anti-doping experts, with day two taking place on Sunday 1 October.
A summary of the proceedings follows...
Current Strategies for the detection and prosecution of doping.
Sunday’s opening session addressed the current issues with blood collection and EPO testing to which the IAAF is continuing to commit extensive resources. Dr. Giuseppe Fischetto from the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Commission opened the session by presenting the IAAF blood profiling programme and methods in which this can be improved to increase the detection capabilities of the testing programme. Dr. Fischetto spoke about the possibility and challenges of implementing a “no start rule” and highlighted the difficulties of applying this to a multi-ethnic population of athletes as present in the IAAF competitions. Representatives of the UCI and International Skiing Federation also presented their current blood screening strategies, while Dr. Neil Robinson from the WADA accredited laboratory in Lausanne highlighted means to further increase the reliability.
Anabolic issues were also discussed on Sunday morning with presentations on Nandrolone, T/E ratios and the contamination of nutritional supplements where evidence was presented by Dr. Hans Geyer that pure hormonal drugs (some of them newly designed) have been intentionally sold as food supplements. IAAF Medical & Anti-Doping Commission Member Prof. Christiane Ayotte spoke on the significant work involved with the identification of designed steroids and steroid profiling and emphasised the potential interest of an individual hormonal profile as an effective screening and survey tool which would help to conduct better targeted and timed urine tests.
The final speeches and discussion in session two revolved around the current issues in the prosecution of doping violations. Specific attention was given to the issues surrounding the prosecution of non-analytical cases (those not involving a positive test). The IAAF gained valuable experience in these situations as a result of the Balco affair and will wherever necessary continue to pursue these non-analytical cases. Mr. Huw Roberts, Legal Counsel for the IAAF spoke about the need for stronger powers to be provided so that witnesses and evidence may be compelled to assist with the timely investigation and prosecution of any non-analytical cases. Mr. Roberts was joined by Mr. Denis Oswald (ASOIF) and Mr Richard McLaren (CAS Arbitrator) who both spoke and then participated in the round table discussions.
Specific issues arising from implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code
The final part of the day was split into three parallel sessions whereby attendees could participate in the session which most influenced their daily anti-doping work.
a) Out-of-competition testing
Testing is a topic that relates directly to all anti-doping stakeholders and as such was a popular and widely debated topic. Mr. James Sclater, IAAF Testing Manager gave an overview of the current IAAF testing initiatives and a look at the future of the intelligent and targeted testing programme that the IAAF is currently implementing. Mr. Sclater’s speech was followed by those of Mr. Rune Andersen representing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Dr. Roland Augustin from the National Anti-Doping Authority (Germany). All three speakers highlighted the importance of international partners working together to create the most effective testing programme. Once again there was representation from the IAAF Athletes Commission who actively contributed to the discussion of future testing strategies.
b) Borderline issues
There are many issues or methods currently being used by athletes or sporting teams which could be termed as “borderline” with some doubt still remaining on either the safety or legitimacy of such practices. This popular parallel session looked at issues such as under what circumstance it is possible for an athlete to be given an intravenous injection, the recent decision on the use of hypoxic devises as well as the practice of blood spinning. Significant discussion and questioning took place and certainly the session benefited from the presence of Dr Oliver Rabin, Director of Science at WADA who fielded many questions from both the speakers and participants in the session
c) Therapeutic Use Exemptions
The administration and management of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE’s) is an issue which has a direct impact on all anti-doping organisations. TUE’s allow an athlete to apply for the use of a substance or method that might otherwise be prohibited. Dr. Luc Magnus, IAAF Medical Manager highlighted that despite over three years experience with the management of TUE’s, the international sporting community, including the IAAF, is still struggling with the huge administrative burden required to implement the TUE process. Dr Magnus was joined by other speakers such as Dr Alain Lacoste from the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and Dr. Bengt O. Eriksson from the Swedish Sports Confederation who presented their specific experiences in TUE management and provided suggestions for the improvement or simplification of this process.
Looking ahead to day 3
The Symposium concludes on day three, Monday 2 October, with a session focusing on education and the prevention of doping, as well as the closing ceremony including the summaries and conclusions presented by IAAF Council Member Abby Hoffman and closing statements by the IAAF athletes Stephane Diagana and Debbie Ferguson.