UK Sport

Positive drugs tests continue to fall

Russell Langley 31 October 2002

UK SPORT today released figures showing that 98.6% of the drugs tests carried out on athletes between April and September 2002 produced negative results.

A total of 4,116 tests were carried out during the period, including 978 at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester – the largest ever testing programme at an event in the UK.

The tests conducted by UK Sport – the body which manages the UK’s anti-doping programme – found that only 57 samples needed reporting for further investigation. Of these:

25 were for stimulants, of which the vast majority were for substances confirmed as permitted medications;
19 were for anabolic agents;
9 were for a refusal to take a test.

The ten days of competition at this summer’s Commonwealth Games saw the testing of approximately 25% of all athletes taking part. Prior to that, almost three-quarters of UK competitors were tested as part of a comprehensive pre-Games programme.

This programme also included a thorough education and information element consisting of sessions that were held with several national squads, and a booklet sent to all athletes explaining the testing procedures and providing advice on anti-doping issues. Through this, the aim of ensuring that UK athletes competing at the Games were drug-free was successfully achieved.

EPO, using blood and urine samples, was also tested for in Manchester. Overall, seven tests were reported for further investigation – just 0.7% of the total number of tests.

The release of the results, which can be downloaded below, comes as part of UK Sport’s move to quarterly reporting, as Richard Callicott, Chief Executive of UK Sport, explains.

"The move to quarterly reporting is part of UK Sport’s ongoing commitment to drug-free sport and the continuous improvement of the anti-doping services we provide to sport in the UK," he said.

"Rather than reporting the figures once a year, we want to give more regular feedback on the testing programme. This makes the athletes more aware that we are working all year round to ensure that they can compete in a clean and fair environment. It also serves as an ongoing reminder of our work in anti-doping to any athletes tempted to cheat by using banned substances."

Michele Verroken, Director of Drug-Free Sport at UK Sport, said that the latest results are proof that the UK’s anti-doping programme is working.

"The results yet again prove that the vast majority of UK athletes are competing without the use of banned substances," she explained. "This is really pleasing for us as it indicates that the UK’s anti-doping programme is working – not only from the deterrent point of view, but also through the education programme that UK Sport runs for athletes.

"It also means that our top sportsmen and women are acting as excellent role models for the next generation of sporting stars."

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