Athlete Support Personnel’s and other groups’ rights and responsibilities under the Code

Athlete Support Personnel’s and other groups’ rights and responsibilities under the Code

Clean Sport matters. Everyone, including Athlete Support Personnel (ASP), has a duty to protect clean sport. The Tajikistan NOC Anti-Doping Rules apply to you too - so don’t let one bad decision ruin a potential sporting career.

If you are a coach, doctor, physiotherapist, or parent/guardian for example, then you are part of an athlete's support network. The athlete depends on you for experience, direction, and guidance. Working together, we can ensure that athletes make informed decisions on clean sport, decreasing the likelihood of intentional and inadvertent doping.

All ASP need to know the essential anti-doping practices and tools available, to help ensure athletes remain clean.

Although this can be deemed especially important for sports medics and nutritionists, who need to be confident in their practice and advice to athletes at all times, all ASP have a responsibility to also recognise that they too must abide by certain aspects of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The facts - what you need to know

The World Anti-Doping Code states the roles and responsibilities that ASP have in relation to anti-doping.

This means you must:

Know and comply with the Anti-Doping Rules, policies and practices that apply to you as well as those that apply to the athletes you support
Co-operate with the testing programme for athletes
Use your influence on athletes positively to foster clean sport values and behaviours
Tell Tajikistan NOC and your International Federation if you have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation in the last 10 years
Co-operate with any doping investigation when asked to do so
Not use or possess any prohibited substance or prohibited method without a valid and justifiable reason
Take the opportunity to be educated on anti-doping matters either through Tajikistan NOC, your National Federation, Sports Institution or Professional Association
Have conversations within your sporting environment on anti-doping and encourage regular engagement in clean sport activities and events
Familiarise yourself with the universal rights available to athletes within anti-doping, which are set out in the WADA Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act
Visit our website for additional information

What does this mean for a Coach or an Athlete Support Personnel?

Anti-doping is complex and needs attention from all who are bound by the Anti-Doping Rules.

Remember, you too could face a ban from sport, not just the athletes. This, in most cases, is career ending.

The Anti-Doping Rule Violations that apply to Athlete Support Personnel account for 7 out of 11, so it is important to take the anti-doping responsibilities very seriously and to assist those around (other coaches, practitioners, athletes, and sport administrators) in doing the same.

There is no sympathy for ignorance or carelessness in anti-doping. Make sure you are up to date with everything you need to know to protect you and your athletes.

What can you do as an Athlete Support Personnel to make Clean Sport a success?

Establish a supportive and coaching environment in which a culture of excellence is nurtured rather than a culture of winning at all costs. Promote positive values and beliefs among all athletes and any other personnel you work with. Educate yourself on anti-doping matters through your NADO, National Governing Body, or Professional Association.

If you are a high performance coach, a medical professional, or a medical professional at major games, take one of the online WADA ADEL courses that are relevant to you, such as ADEL for Medical Professionals. Encourage regular engagement in clean sport and encourage athletes to apply the principle of strict liability within your sporting environment.

Have conversations within your sporting environment on anti-doping. Encourage regular engagement in clean sport. Discuss anti-doping with your athletes. Help athletes apply the principle of Strict Liability. Help athletes avoid inadvertent doping by checking their medications against the Prohibited List or online drug reference list, and explaining the risks of supplement usage.

Understand the universal rights available to athletes within the anti-doping arena as laid out by the Athlete's Anti-Doping Rights Act. You should be familiar with the anti-doping section of the Tajikistan NOC website. Obtain the information you need to provide the best support for your athletes.

Further details of these roles and responsibilities can be found in Code Art. 21.2 and 21.3