UK Sport carried out a total of 1,407 tests between 1 October and 31 December last year via its national anti-doping programme, according to figures released today by the organisation. This takes the total number of tests for 2008/09 to 5,603.
During this period, there have been 10 confirmed anti-doping rule violations added to the Drugs Results Database, with a further six deemed to be ‘no case to answer’. Tests were carried out on behalf of 48 national governing bodies and international federations covering 30 sports.
Missions conducted during quarter three included:
Football Association – 431
UK Athletics – 107
Welsh Rugby Union – 91
Rugby Football Union – 86
Scottish Rugby Union – 75
Of the missions carried out so far across the 08/09 programme, 63% have been conducted out-of-competition, covering those taken at squad training sessions and individual testing conducted using the whereabouts information that athletes provide via ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System).
Reflecting on the figures, Andy Parkinson, Director of Drug-Free Sport at UK Sport, said:
“Prior to Beijing we were engaged in an intensive period of pre-Games testing, and the figures released today indicate there’s been no let-up since. Alongside testing, the focus during this period has been on ensuring a smooth transition to the new World Anti-Doping Code. A large majority of national governing bodies on our testing programme are now fully compliant with the Code, or have an agreed timetable in place to do so. This is no mean feat and is a real indication of the commitment to anti-doping that exists in the UK.”
The full report is available to download now. Meanwhile, details of all closed cases can be found on the Drug Results Database section of the UK Sport website (www.uksport.gov.uk/drugs). Final year figures from the UK’s testing programme will be released in May.
