UKAD statement concerning WADA, CHINADA and the positive test results of 23 Chinese swimmers

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) notes with concern the current media and sporting world commentary and speculation about serious anti-doping issues involving 23 Chinese swimmers.

UKAD, along with WADA and all Anti-Doping Organisations, has a fundamental responsibility to protect athletes’ rights to participate in doping-free sport and promote health, fairness and equality for athletes worldwide. Clean participation is essential and must be delivered in a coordinated manner linked to the International Standards and the World Anti-Doping Code.

The recent media reports and responses by WADA and several National Anti-Doping Organisations have led many athletes and the wider sporting community to question the consistency with which anti-doping processes work and how anti-doping rules are applied worldwide.

Without public access to the full details, and with speculation continuing in the media, a more transparent approach is needed.

We call on WADA, in this specific case, to now initiate an independent review of the regulatory framework and processes applied.

We hope that WADA, by expediting this process, can help ensure trust and confidence is restored in anti-doping worldwide, and clean athletes can continue to be protected and championed.

Rugby League player Adam Rusling serves three-month ban for taking cocaine and MDMA

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has confirmed that Rugby League player Adam Rusling received a three-month ban from all sport following Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for the presence of Prohibited Substances cocaine and MDMA in his urine Sample. At the time of this announcement, the ban has been served and the player is free to resume participation in sport.

On 18 June 2023, UKAD collected an In-Competition urine Sample from Mr Rusling at a game between Hunslet RLFC and Cornwall RLFC. Analysis of Mr Rusling’s urine Sample returned Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, and MDMA (‘ecstasy’) and its metabolite, tenamfetamine.

Cocaine and MDMA are listed under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2023 Prohibited List as non-Specified stimulants and are prohibited In-Competition only. The WADA 2023 Prohibited List also identifies both substances as ‘Substances of Abuse’.

The UK Anti-Doping Rules (ADR), which implement the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code for sports in the UK, set out specific rules on how ADRVs relating to Substances of Abuse should be managed. Shorter bans of three months are available for such substances when found In-Competition if their ingestion takes place Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance.

The ADR further require that a mandatory provisional suspension is imposed when notifying an Athlete that a non-Specified Prohibited Substance (such as cocaine or MDMA) has been detected in their Sample. Therefore, Mr Rusling was notified of his AAFs and provisionally suspended by UKAD on 2 August 2023. In the player’s responses, he admitted taking cocaine and MDMA, stating he had taken both substances Out-of-Competition during the evening of 16 June 2023.

UKAD investigated the player’s responses, including instructing an independent scientific expert to examine the plausibility of the player’s explanation. Upon concluding its investigations, UKAD charged Mr Rusling on 12 December 2023 with the commission of ADRVs for the Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s Sample. The player accepted the charges and a three-month period of Ineligibility.

The ADR provide that Mr Rusling be afforded credit for the time he spent provisionally suspended (since 2 August 2023). In this case, Mr Rusling’s ban is therefore deemed fully served by virtue of his Provisional Suspension lasting in excess of three months. UKAD shares the outcome of this case today, following the expiry of the appeal deadline.

Mr Rusling’s case follows three recent published Rugby League cases, all involving cocaine. While shorter bans may be available for cocaine and other recreational drugs designated ‘Substance(s) of Abuse’, UKAD’s Director of Operations, Hamish Coffey warns about the impact these substances have on an athlete’s health and welfare:

“Stimulants such as cocaine and MDMA are harmful and addictive, and illegal in the UK. Athletes and their loved ones can have their lives impacted by ‘recreational drugs’, so it’s simply not worth the risk to their health or reputation in sport. The anti-doping rules are in place to keep athletes safe and to maintain a fair sport. We welcome the work sports like Rugby League, in conjunction with Rugby League Cares, are doing to tackle the use of recreational drugs among players, which includes awareness, education and support for those affected.”

The Rugby Football League and Rugby League Cares, the sport’s independent charity which leads on player welfare, added:

“Rugby League supports UKAD in its testing programme of players at all levels of the sport, in and out of competition, and in this case specifically the Substance of Abuse programme following positive tests for recreational drugs – supporting players in recognising the dangers of substance misuse, and explaining the range of options for ongoing support – which in Rugby League is led by RL Cares.”

Who, What, Where & Why of Anti-Doping: Supporting Parents to Support Their Young Sportsperson

Why WADA 2021’s new ‘Substances of Abuse’ regime needs urgent clarity

Published Thursday, 06 August 2020.

UKAD and Mr Dillian Whyte issue joint statement

Athlete testing in 2023: UKAD conducted over 8,800 doping tests, with football the most tested sport

8,816 tests completed in the 2023 calendar year by UKAD
Football, rugby union, rugby league, boxing, athletics and cricket were the most tested sports
UKAD to continue emphasis on testing athletes likely to compete in Paris 2024

UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD) total test numbers for the calendar years 2022 and 2023 averaged 9,000 tests a year. Since 2020 and the start of the coronavirus pandemic when testing was reduced temporarily, testing numbers have bounced back from 7,724 (in 2021) to 9,064 (in 2022) and 8,816 last year, reflecting a robust intelligence-led testing programme.

UKAD has today shared its latest quarterly testing report which covers October to December 2023 (quarter three of the 2023/24 financial year). 1,789 tests were conducted during the quarter. The report, read alongside UKAD’s published quarterly reports, show the split of testing by calendar year.

UKAD tests across more than 40 professional sports. Their most tested sports in 2023 were football, rugby union, rugby league, boxing, athletics and cricket. Football accounted for 32% of all tests. The football anti-doping testing programme is one of several UKAD testing programmes, supported by additional funding from the sport’s national governing body, which allows UKAD to conduct more testing on that sport throughout the year.

Testing of sports is also informed by the delivery of comprehensive testing programmes in the build-up to major events. Last year, this included the Women’s Football World Cup, the Men’s Rugby World Cup, the Men’s Cricket World Cup, the World Athletics Championship and ongoing qualification and preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

UKAD introduced new science and technological advances in 2023 to help evolve the testing programme and strategy. The organisation began its implementation of the endocrine module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) in quarter three (October – December 2023). The endocrine module is a new module which collects information on markers of human growth hormone (hGH) doping and aims to identify hGH abuse. UKAD will continue its implementation throughout 2024.

Hamish Coffey, UKAD’s Director of Operations said, “The figures released today build a positive picture of the testing that UKAD undertakes with athletes across many sports. UKAD has a multi-faceted approach to keeping sport clean which includes a world-class education system directed at all roles in sport, and an intelligence-led testing programme which targets the greatest risks to clean sport. Through our Assurance Framework we have made great progress with national governing bodies of sport to ensure anti-doping is embedded at every level of their organisation, and this work continues.

“2024 is a significant year for sport with the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming up, as well as UEFA Euro 2024, just two of a number of major events taking place. The world will be watching, and a new generation of young athletes will be inspired to take up sport. It is vital that UKAD and our partners in clean sport show that sport is true, sport is trusted and that integrity and ethics remain at its forefront.”

UKAD is a public body and receives funding annually from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In 2022, DCMS provided UKAD with £9 million of funding for its operations. A significant amount of this funding is allocated to UKAD’s athlete testing, results analysis and legal services. The organisation generates additional income from its contracted testing programme and major events services.

British Triathlete Louis Walker receives three-year ban for possession and use of clenbuterol

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has issued British Triathlete Louis Walker with a three-year ban from all sport following Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for the Use and Possession of the Prohibited Substance, clenbuterol.

In February 2023, UKAD received intelligence via its confidential reporting initiative ‘Protect Your Sport’ that Mr Walker had been found in possession of a blister pack of Clenoxin tablets containing clenbuterol. Mr Walker admitted to both using and being in possession of clenbuterol during an interview with UKAD on 3 April 2023.

Clenbuterol is listed under Section 1.2 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2023 Prohibited List as an Anabolic Agent. It is a non-Specified Substance that is prohibited at all times.

Mr Walker was provisionally suspended by UKAD on 27 September 2023 and subsequently charged with Anti-Doping Rule Violations (Use and Possession of a Prohibited Substance) under the UK Anti-Doping Rules (ADR). Mr Walker responded to UKAD within 20 days of the Charge to admit both violations and accept the sanction. His early admission and acceptance of the sanction allowed his ban to be reduced by one-year.

Affording Mr Walker credit for the time he spent provisionally suspended, his ban from sport is deemed to have commenced on 27 September 2023 and will expire on 26 September 2026.

Hamish Coffey, UKAD’s Director of Operations said: “The use of anabolic agents, like clenbuterol, is cheating and undermines the hard-work and determination of clean athletes.

“This case serves as a reminder of how important it is to report your suspicions of doping. It takes a team to keep sport clean. No matter how small the information may seem, we want to hear it so we can ensure a level playing field for athletes.”

British Triathlon added, “We support UKAD’s decision and thank the person who initially raised their concerns about the athlete. As a national governing body, we are committed to clean sport and encourage anyone with a concern about an athlete to contact UKAD directly.

“Since 2021, British Triathlon has increased the education and training available to elite and amateur athletes. All Home Nation members, and any athlete and their athlete support personnel who is a member of British Triathlon’s affiliate organisations or licensees (including clubs, teams, associations and academies) are bound by the British Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules which are the UK Anti-Doping Rules.”