(Ottawa, Ontario – December 4, 2008) – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) reports a strong quarterly result in its detection and deterrence work, conducting 851 doping controls over the July-September 2008 quarter. Of these, 721 tests were on Canadian athletes under the Sport Canada-funded domestic program, with 57% collected out of competition. 

Five anti-doping rule violations resulted from these tests, including four cannabis cases which resulted in a warning and reprimand in the sports of CIS football, water polo (2), and wheelchair rugby. The fifth violation, for a hormone modulator called tamoxifen, entailed a two-year sanction for a CIS football athlete. Two other Canadian athletes were sanctioned by the International Rugby Board during this quarter. 

The remaining 130 tests were collected on a fee-for-service basis. Notable clients included the International Baseball Federation (IBAF - 26 tests), the International Canoe Federation (ICF - 15 tests), the Association of National Anti-Doping Organisations (ANADO - 15 tests), and the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF - 14 tests). 

To help Team Canada prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, the CCES provided pre-games testing and education. Ninety-two percent of the 333-member Olympic team and 95% of the 150-member Paralympic team underwent doping control. Zero violations occurred. The CCES supported the Beijing Organizing Committee by recommending one CCES doping control officer to its sample collection team, and collaborated with Team Canada’s medical staff around therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for the athletes in Beijing. A ten-minute audiocast, recorded in English by champion hurdler Perdita Felicien and in French by the team’s press chief, Sylvie Bigras, summarized for athletes what to expect in the area of doping control at the Games. 

The CCES created a tailor-made education program for the 2008 North American Indigenous Games held in Cowichan, B.C., in August, taking the opportunity to provide values-based ethical decision-making education to young aboriginal athletes from across the continent, and adding further value with anti-doping content. Exemplary aboriginal sports figures and cultural leaders, notably Josh Sacobie, University of Ottawa GeeGee’s quarterback, Olympic medallist Alwyn Morris, and Beverley Jacobs, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, shared their wisdom in the interactive program, which will be offered as a teaching tool to schools in the coming year. 

Another focus this quarter was the revision of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), Canada's rules that govern doping control in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code. The Canadian sport community's comments on the first draft were collected by June 27, and incorporated into a second draft released August 15. The final version of the new 2009 CADP was released October 15, and will come into effect on January 1, 2009 (www.cces.ca/cadp2009). 

The CCES worked closely with the anti-doping unit of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to draft new sample collection rules (reflected in the 2009 CADP), and jointly hosted a doping control officer (DCO) training workshop in Vancouver in September to certify 120 DCOs and 45 blood collection officers (BCOs) on the changed urine and blood procedures. 

The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to foster ethical sport for all Canadians, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations. 

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For further information, please contact:
Rosemary Pitfield, Director of Communications,
(613) 521-3340 x3236
(613) 355-0889
rpitfield@cces.ca  

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