John Scott, Director of Drug-Free Sport at UK Sport, has stated that he is ‘extremely happy’ with the progress being made towards the development of a new stand-alone National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) in the UK. Scott was speaking following the second meeting of the NADO Project Board which was set up to ensure the new NADO best meets the needs of the British sporting community.
UK Sport is currently in the process of compiling the Business Case for the new NADO which will be presented to the Sports Minister in the coming weeks. This will contain detailed recommendations on the proposed functions and operations of the NADO, and the resources required for it to run effectively. This Business Case will be reviewed by the Minister who will then determine funding details and the process for the transfer of responsibility for anti-doping from UK Sport to the new body.
“From the outset this has proved to be a very complex project,” said Scott, “but we are extremely happy with the progress being made and we are on track to deliver the Business Case to the Minister at the end of the month.”
A key element of the process to date has been to engage with and inform all partners on the proposals. As well as the establishment of the Project Board, a number of Workstreams are in place to determine detailed requirements for the new NADO and timelines for key actions and milestones prior to its launch. Over 30 partner organisations are represented on these groups and Scott states that the support shown for the new NADO is unequivocal:
“We have had excellent interaction with the sports community not only through the Project Board and Workstreams, but also the Stakeholder Forums held in England, Scotland and Wales. These have highlighted the overwhelming endorsement there is from sport for the plans which bodes well when it comes to establishing the new body.
“We have been particularly pleased by the input of the Project Board. The individuals on it were carefully chosen for their expertise across a number of different areas and this has shone through at the meetings. This is helping lead us towards the creation of a world-class NADO for the UK.”
