Anti-Doping in Football Historically anti-doping efforts have - PDF document

This Anti-Doping in Football project has been funded with support from the European Commission (ERASMUS+ Sport 2019). This publication and all its contents reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Anti-Doping in Football Historically anti-doping efforts have focused on the detection and deterrence of doping in elite sport and football has not been an exception. However, there is a growing concern among policy makers and sport stakeholders that doping outside the elite sporting system is an expanding and problematic phenomenon, giving rise to the belief that the misuse of doping agents in recreational sport has become a societal problem and a public health concern. Whereas the latter is happening at high level, the same level of awareness is missing among amateur football players representing a major issue if we consider the social harm and impact upon both users and sport communities doping abuse might create. The use of drugs in football is not widely associated with the sport because of lack of evidence, unlike individual sports such as cycling, weight-lifting, and track and field. Much closer collaboration and further investigation is needed with regard to banned substances, detection methods, and data collection. This project addresses the issue of awareness and support at the amateur grassroots football level. Despite calls from European institutions through official documents and expert groups for coherent approaches, there is much to be done in football. The lack of a coordinated approach ANTI-DIF PROJECT I APRIL 2019 I HENRIK.LUNDE@FOTBALL.NO 1

at EU level undermines also the possibility to have a comprehensive picture of the overall situation to understand which actions must be urgently delivered. Since 2011 The Commission has encouraged all relevant sport actors to collaborate in the fight against doping. In the “Communication on Sport”, the European Commission “ …emphasised that doping remains an important threat to sport and noted that doping prevention and doping sanctions remain within the remit of sport organisations and Member States, but encouraged them to adopt and share national anti-doping action plans…” Through the Danish Presidency of the EU Council in 2012 and the EU Expert Group on Anti- doping, other actions and synergies have been proposed that affect policy development in the area of anti-doping in recreational sport. It determined a range of recommendations to help combat doping issues. Among others it was proposed that Member States should take steps to ensure the coordination at national and transnational level, establishing networks on the exchange of policies, campaigns and actions in the area of anti-doping for recreational sport. In 2017, the Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) agreed to explore the development of an International Standard for Education and Information, which would elevate the importance of values-based education within the World Anti-Doping Program and guide stakeholders in developing and carrying out effective programs. A Working Group was formed to determine the parameters of such a Standard for consideration by WADA’s Executive Committee and Board in May 2018, followed by stakeholder consultation and inclusion within a broader Code and Standard review process. The international standard aims to prevent doping in sport providing Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) practical information and reliable approaches to achieve the principles and goals of World Anti-Doping Code. These standards will form part of the project outputs and after extensive consultation with leading experts, the education program will be piloted/evaluated with key stakeholders in the world of ‘grassroots’ amateur football. Each stage of the programme will be based on concepts and principle of the WADA guidelines. In November 2017, WADA has launched the first phase of the World Anti-Doping Code review process with a view to the adoption of a new Code in 2021. The Code is the fundamental and universal document upon which the World Anti-Doping Program is based. Its purpose is to advance the anti-doping effort through universal harmonization of core anti-doping elements. It is intended to be specific enough to achieve complete harmonization on issues where uniformity is required, yet general enough in other areas to permit flexibility on how agreed- upon anti-doping principles are implemented. At the EU level the Sport Work Plan (2017-2020) states that the “…EU institutions will have to collect inputs in anti-doping issues through meetings of experts to be discussed at the Working Party on Sport, in particular compatibility with EU law, regarding any forthcoming revision of the WADA Anti-doping Code…” In the fight against doping in sport, the most powerful tool for prevention is education – awareness and preventive education aimed at both professional athletes and amateurs. ANTI-DIF PROJECT I APRIL 2019 I HENRIK.LUNDE@FOTBALL.NO 2

Education is aimed at enhancing knowledge of the consequences (ethical, legal, health and social) of the use of doping. There is a need to emphasize the development of specialised anti- doping education programmes intended not only for athletes, coaches, sports staff and parents, but also for people practising sport as a leisure activity, school students, fitness instructors, citizens. In respect of amateur grassroots football there is a lack of in-depth investigation about the problem of anti-doping across Europe and also appropriate education and support for the clubs and individuals. The recent agreement between the European Commission and UEFA aims to consolidate cooperation: “…Specific fields of cooperation cover most of the challenges sport faces today, including violence, match-fixing, fair taxation, doping and racism…” This project seeks to address these various issues through a series of key actions: 1. Understand the problem/evaluate the current situation (investigation) in the European Local/grassroots football clubs • What is actually known about the prevalence of doping practices in football, • What is currently being done and what program/material/research we have already and what is/are demonstrably an effective intervention(s) within the European Union which could be more widely replicated. • What do we need? 2. Creation of value-based education materials (based on Key Action 1) The materials will be an adaptation of the already existing materials elaborated in many years of commitment against doping by EuropeActive, UEFA, AntiDopingNorway and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki for football by combining it with the WADA new Information/Education Guidelines to Prevent Doping in Sport 3. Creation of guidelines for “anti-doping coaches” who act like ambassador in the fight against doping. The anti-doping coaches will be the project ambassador in the local clubs / football school to disseminate the educational materials. Moreover they will represent the reference point for National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) and football associations also after the duration of the project to keep raising awareness about doping. 4. Anti-Doping Code of Conduct for Amateur Grassroots Football The code represent a new call for accountability for the amateur grassroots football sector on doping. It is voluntary but aims to promote a standardised approach across Europe that should be used by the football clubs, coaches and players. ANTI-DIF PROJECT I APRIL 2019 I HENRIK.LUNDE@FOTBALL.NO 3