Introduction to Anti-Doping
The use of doping substances or doping methods to enhance performance is fundamentally wrong and is detrimental to the values of Commonwealth Sport.
Commonwealth athletes are ambassadors for Respect, Impartiality and Non-Discrimination through their actions, words and deeds. Commonwealth Athletes inspire fairness, inclusion and respect for the individual regardless of gender, ability, faith, sexuality or ethnicity. To achieve integrity and fairness in sport, a commitment to a clean field of play is critical. The CGF seeks to maintain the integrity of the Commonwealth Games by running a comprehensive anti-doping programme that focuses equally on education/prevention and on testing, with consequent sanctioning of those who break the rules.
The CGF is the Major Event Organizer (MEO) responsible for anti-doping during the Commonwealth Games. So anyone coming to the Games is bound by the CGF’s anti-doping rules.
Athletes’, Athlete Support Personnel’s and other groups’ rights and responsibilities under the Code.
Athletes’ responsibilities include:
- To be knowledgeable of and comply with all applicable anti-doping policies and rules adopted under the Code
- To be available for sample collection at all times during the Games Period 19th July to 10th August
- To take responsibility, in the context of anti-doping, for what they ingest and use
- To inform medical personnel of their obligation not to use prohibited substances and prohibited methods and to take responsibility to make sure that any medical treatment received does not violate anti-doping policies and rules adopted under the Code
- To disclose to their National Anti-Doping Organization and the CGF any decision by a non-Code Signatory finding that the Athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation within the previous 10 years
- To cooperate with Anti-Doping Organizations investigating Anti-Doping Rule Violations
- To disclose the identity of their Athlete support personnel upon request by any Anti-Doping Organization with authority over the Athlete.
Responsibilities of Athlete Support Personnel include:
- To be knowledgeable of and comply with all anti-doping policies and rules adopted under the Code and which are applicable to them or the Athletes whom they support
- To cooperate with the Athlete testing program
- To use their influence on Athlete values and behaviour to foster anti-doping attitudes
- To disclose to their National Anti-Doping Organization and the National Federation any decision by a non-Code Signatory finding that they committed an anti-doping rule violation within the previous 10 years
- To cooperate with Anti-Doping Organizations investigating Anti-Doping Rule Violations
- Athlete support personnel must not use or possess any prohibited substance or prohibited method without valid justification.
Athlete rights exist throughout the Code and International Standards, and they include:
- Equality of opportunity
- Equitable and Fair Testing programmes
- Medical treatment and protection of health rights
- Right to justice
- Right to accountability
- Whistleblower rights
- Right to education
- Right to data protection
- Rights to compensation
- Protected Persons Rights
- Rights during a Sample Collection Session
- Right to B sample analysis
The Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act is a key document that consolidates these athlete rights in anti-doping. It is based on the 2021 WADA Code and International Standards, and it aims to ensure that athlete rights within anti-doping are clearly set out, accessible and universally applicable.
WADA Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act 2020
The principle of Strict Liability
The principle of strict liability is applied in situations where urine/blood samples collected from an athlete have produced adverse analytical results.
It means that each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their bodily specimen, and that an anti-doping rule violation occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.
Strict liability means that you are solely responsible for any banned substance you use, attempt to use, or is found in your system, regardless of how it got there or whether there was any intention to cheat. In anti-doping, not knowing is not an excuse!
Questions and Answers on Strict Liability in Anti-Doping can be found on WADA’s website.
Anti-doping rule violations
The CGF has a zero tolerance policy to doping in sport. We seek to maintain the integrity of the Commonwealth Games by running a comprehensive anti-doping programme that focuses equally on education, prevention and testing.
Speaking up to share concerns about doping
Help us protect the clean athlete and the integrity of sport. Doping Control is an effective tool - however, anti-doping requires other tools to be as effective as possible. The gathering of intelligence and subsequent investigations have proven to expose serious cheating and systemic schemes to defraud sport. As an athlete, you may have unique insights into your sport including clear indications of doping risks or problems that may warrant investigation. The anti-doping system works best when you come forward with this information.
WADA have developed a completely confidential platform which allows athletes, their support personnel, and all others who may have information to share regarding a possible Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) to provide the information to WADA in a confidential manner if they choose. Speak Up! can also be used to report possible non-compliance by an Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) or any act or deed that could undermine global efforts for sport.
To find out more on the WADA website, please click here.
Privacy
The Commonwealth Games Federation ("CGF", "we", "us" or "our") is committed to respecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal data. CGF are a 'data controller' for the purposes of data protection legislation, and we are responsible for, and control the processing of any personal data you share with us. The Anti-Doping Privacy Notice, together with our main Privacy Policy applies to Athletes participating in the Commonwealth Games (the "Games") who are selected for Doping Control as part of the Games Anti-Doping Programme (the "Anti-Doping Programme").
Contact Us
For any questions or issues in relation to this Anti-Doping Privacy Notice, please write to our Data Protection Officer at:
Data Protection Officer,
Commonwealth Games Federation
Commonwealth House
55-58 Pall Mall
London
SW1Y 5JH
Email: privacy@thecgf.com
