Athlete Commission
The UK Anti-Doping Athlete Commission provides advice on all matters of anti-doping.
Olympic, Paralympic and professional sports are all represented on the Commission, which has the responsibility of working with other athlete-centred groups - for example the British Elite Athletes Association - to ensure the wider views of the athlete community are represented. It also engages with athletes to collect feedback on UKAD programmes.
The Commission is chaired by Ama Agbeze MBE, and twelve Commission members have been appointed for their experience of, and commitment to, anti-doping and their understanding of the national and international sporting environment.
Ama Agbeze MBE holds more than 100 caps for her country, and received an MBE for services to netball in 2019. Ama was a member of the England Team that won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2016, she was appointed England captain. Under her captaincy, England won the 2016 European Netball Championship, the 2017 Fast5 Netball World Series and the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Alongside her playing career, Ama is a qualified lawyer, broadcaster, TV presenter, as well as a diversity & inclusion specialist.
Laura Deas is an Olympic medal-winning skeleton athlete who was a member of Team GB’s record-breaking squad competing at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. She started skeleton back in 2009 through the UK Sport talent programme, Girls4Gold, and has since forged a successful career in the sport.
Laura featured across UKAD and Team GB’s communication channels during Clean Sport Week 2018, 2019 and 2020, speaking on clean sport and anti-doping education.
Andrew is a postdoctoral researcher in anti-doping and sport integrity working for Leeds Beckett University, the University of Birmingham, and Kingston University. He obtained his PhD at the University of Birmingham in sport and exercise psychology in 2022 with his thesis on ‘Psychosocial factors facilitating use of performance and cognitive enhancing drugs in sport and education’.
Before joining the University of Birmingham in 2015, he completed an MSc at Manchester Metropolitan University in Psychology and an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, an MBA from the University of Tulsa, and an MA in Medical Sciences from the University of Oxford.
Away from his academic studies, Andrew has competed in track, cross country, and the marathon at international level in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019, and most recently at the European Championships in 2022. He is currently the Chair of the UKA Athletes’ Commission and a member of the WADA Social Science Research Expert Advisory Group.
Christian Day, who was born in Blackpool, is a former Rugby Union player. He started his career with the Sale Sharks and was part of their first ever Premiership title winning side in the 2005/6 season. He went on to make 226 appearances for the Northampton Saints from 2008 where he also won a plethora of silverware, including two European Challenge Cups and the Aviva Premiership title, until he retired in 2018. The 38-year-old who made an appearance on the popular TV cooking show MasterChef in 2020. He is currently elected to the role of General Secretary at The Rugby Players Association, the representative body of elite Rugby players in England and Great Britain 7’s.
Jude is 4.0 British Wheelchair Basketball player who fell in love with the sport in 2007 when she was introduced to it via a local Paralympic Potential Day, just a year after having her right leg amputated. Jude went on to join the Exeter Otters club and made her international debut at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup and competed in multiple World Cup, Paralympic and European Championship events.
The 30-year-old now plies her trade for the London Titans. She was awarded a Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award for bravery and trekked across the Andes Mountains in Ecuador as part of a TV show, Beyond Boundaries. In addition to her off court successes, Jude also has a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology and Biotechnology and is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in sport.
Alice Dearing is a former British swimmer, specialising in open water events. She made history as Team GB’s first ever black female swimmer to compete at an Olympic Games. Since retiring from swimming in 2024, Alice continues to make a splash in the sporting world as the co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, a British Elite Athlete Association Ambassador, an Access Sport Ambassador, and as a British Esports Federation Advisory Board member.
Marcus Stock is a professional Rugby League player. With a passion for player welfare, Marcus has a MSc degree in psychology and a level 2 certificate in counselling. After gaining his qualifications, Marcus has taken on roles such as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst for local law enforcement, an Independent Child Trafficking Guardian for Barnardo’s, and a Deterrence Coordinator for Milton Keynes City Council.
Endurance athlete, Melissa Nicholls has made her mark at the Paralympics and continues to compete for Coventry Godiva Harriers Wheelchair Racing Academy, Gloucester Cycling Club, and Tri Team Glos where she also coaches triathlon. Melissa is no stranger to anti-doping, having received education and testing since the start of her career in 2012. In addition to competing, Melissa is also dedicated to sport education via partnerships including Hartpury University & College, and continues to do a range of social enterprise and community projects, as well as taking on speaking and advocacy work.
Double Olympian and former World number one Judo star, Natalie Powell, has represented both Team GB and Team Wales during her 15-year long career. Natalie brings her extensive knowledge of the elite sporting environment to the Athlete Commission, along with her insight gained from her Biomedical Science (BSc) and Advanced Coaching (MSc) degrees.
Javier Bello is the highest ranked British player in the history of Beach Volleyball. Alongside his twin brother, Javier is a three-time British champion, eight-time World Tour medallist, and a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. Off the court, Javier has graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and is currently working towards a Masters degree in Strategic Communications at King's College London.
Dan Bethell is a law graduate and GB Paralympian badminton player. Just some of his accolades include a silver medal at Tokyo 2022 and the 2019 World Championship in the SL3 Men’s Singles. Dan is a four-time European Champion and World number one player, as well as a former ambassador for the charities Cerebral Palsy Sport and Contact (the charity for families with disabled children), and recipient of the Bristol Red Award for Exceptional Sporting Performance.
Leader, mentor, coach and Scottish rugby player are just some of the titles that Shona Campbell holds. Shona started her career playing for Scotland’s netball team before finding her love of rugby. The GB Rugby Sevens star holds a MSc degree in Performance Psychology and has conducted research into athlete mental wellbeing.