Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport

(Ottawa, Ontario – August 30, 2012) – In its first quarter, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) went into high gear to support Canadian athletes long-listed for London 2012. To increase public confidence that Team Canada would be competing clean, the CCES offered customized education, whereabouts assistance and doping control.

In collaboration with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), the CCES helped manage the submission of whereabouts information, which was mandatory for all Olympic athletes through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules.

The CCES also provided the up-and-coming team members with comprehensive anti-doping education. Education for the more seasoned members of Team Canada came in the form of a major games journal accessed through the team’s online portal, managed by the COC. A similar journal is now available for Paralympians, through the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s athlete portal. 

Pre-Games testing began in February. It placed an increased focus on testing the 429 elite athletes who would be representing Canada at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As reported in the Globe and Mail on the eve of the Olympics, Paul Melia, President and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, said that the pre-Games testing was driven by intelligence.

“The tests – both blood and urine – returned zero positive results for the 85 per cent of Olympics-eligible athletes tested from a long list in the past six months,” Melia said. “The CCES implemented sophisticated pre-Games tests for the highest-risk athletes at the most effective times….the system is more savvy and proactive than in the past.”

www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/canadians-pass-pre-games-doping-tests/article4444829/

To wish our team well in London, the CCES sent each member a True Sport carabiner in the shape of the red True Sport O, which symbolizes a strong connection to the ethical grounding of sport.

Other Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport highlights for the April-June 2012 quarter include: 

Fee-for-Service Testing

The CCES conducted 303 urine and 76 blood tests for international events held in Canada, including:

• 2012 Pan American Senior Championships (Judo)
• 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup (Junior Hockey)
• Ottawa 10K and Ottawa Marathon Road Races (Athletics)

We also concluded agreements with Equine Canada, Athletics Canada and the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes that encourages additional doping control investment. The CCES will assume the cost of laboratory analysis and any potential results management.

The CCES had a presence at the SportAccord Conference, an annual gathering of international sport federations which was held this year in Quebec City.

Violations and Sanctions

The quarter saw five violations publicly disclosed. A four-year period of ineligibility was imposed for the CCES’ second trafficking case in its history, relying on an athlete’s criminal conviction to prove the violation. In addition, an admission, a refusal and a clenbuterol positive each garnered a two-year sanction. 

World Anti-Doping Code Consultation

The first draft of the 2015 Code was released in June, and the second phase of the consultation process began. The CCES summarized the proposed changes and again solicited feedback from Canadians in an early July advisory note. www.cces.ca/en/advisories-45-first-look-at-2015-anti-doping-rules

Doping Control Program Statistics

The CCES conducts testing under the domestic Canadian Anti-Doping Program and also provides doping control services for various national and international clients. The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter. Numbers include tests that are planned, coordinated, and/or collected by the CCES.

For details, see www.cces.ca/pdfs/CCES-MR-2012AprJunDetails-E.pdf.

Athlete Services Statistics

The CCES supports athletes subject to doping control by providing education, processing medical exemptions, and responding to substance inquiries.  The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter. 

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. We are committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.

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