Anti Doping in Biathle
Background
The MPAGB and UK Sport , as part of its overall sporting excellence remit, is committed to promoting ethically fair and drug-free sport, with the aim of producing sportsmen and women who are competing and winning fairly.
The MPAGB support the view that the use of doping substances or doping methods to enhance performance is cheating, unfair and contrary to the spirit of fair competition. Drug misuse can be harmful to an athlete's health or to other athletes competing in the sport. It severely damages the integrity, image and value of sport, whether or not the motivation to use drugs is to improve performance.
UK Sport is responsible for the implementation and management of the UK's anti-doping policy. As part of this, UK Sport co-ordinates the UK's testing programme which every year sees over 6,000 tests carried out across more than 40 sports. The results of the testing programme are published quarterly and made available on their website.
In addition, UK Sport provides British athletes and their support personnel with a number of services and resources to help them make the right decisions about what substances they can and cannot use. This includes factsheets which can be downloaded and you can check out to see if specific substances are banned or permitted, by searching on their Drug Information Database.
What medications are prohibited?
The UIPM website now has the updated WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Prohibited List 2006.
Alternatively, information about the Prohibited List and the 2006 Monitoring Program can be found on the WADA website.
Guidance to who could be drug tested, when and what to do if you are taking medication
Who is liable for testing?
Within the rules of the UIPM (Biathle) athletes competing in Senior and Junior catergories in domestic and international Biathle competitions are liable for in competition testing. Dope testing will take place at the World Championships in Salford.
At what competitions could they be tested?
All athletes who compete in the following competitions:
- British Open Biathle Championships
- British Junior Biathle Championships
- World Biathle Championships
What if I need to use a Prohibited Substance by an athlete for medical reasons?
This is possible by virtue of a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE)
An athlete can take certain medications providing an agreement has been made between either the athlete and UIPM or the athlete and UK Sport.
International Athletes have to send their TUE direct to UIPM for approval.
Athletes who compete at the National Biathle Championships have to submit their TUEs to MPAGB who forward them on to UK Sport for approval.