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Head of National Anti-Doping Programme Appointed

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Russell Langley 28 July 2005

UK Sport, the National Anti-Doping Agency for the UK, has announced the appointment of Andy van Neutegem to the newly-created post of Head of National Anti-Doping Programme. van Neutegem, previously Head of Sport & Recreation at Bournemouth University, will be responsible for day-to-day management of UK Sport’s national anti-doping programme and will report into John Scott, UK Sport’s Director of Drug-Free Sport. The news of van Neutegem’s appointment came on the day UK Sport released the latest set of figures from the UK’s anti-doping testing programme.

van Neutegem comes to UK Sport after spending the last year in Canada developing workshops for elite athletes in sports psychology. Prior to that he was Chair of the National Working Party for the Framework of Lifestyle Management for Elite Athletes, and a Member of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) National Committee.

John Scott said: "A particular area of interest for us over the next two years is the development of a system of 'intelligent testing’. This would see us analyse 'high risk’ zones in an athlete’s cycle, for example returning from injury or preparing for major events, when they might be more tempted to seek an advantage through the misuse of drugs. Andy’s wealth of knowledge in athlete performance and sports psychology will certainly be invaluable in pursuing this system which I believe will greatly improve the effectiveness of our testing programme."

Having had a month to settle into his new surroundings, van Neutegem is excited by the challenges that lie ahead. "In my short time here I have been impressed with the quality of the team and the commitment that exists to fighting doping in sport," he said. "As with all areas of British sport we will be increasingly in the spotlight as we move towards 2012. It is therefore vital that everything we do is truly world-class and I believe that the team in place at UK Sport can take us to that level.

"I see my main role initially as one of building on the systems and processes we have in place to enable greater transparency, improve the effectiveness of testing as a deterrent, and encourage an increased level of partnership with governing bodies and other key organisations. I want all aspects of our work in anti-doping to be more athlete-focused, fully supporting those sportsmen and women who want to compete drug-free. We’re heading in the right direction with, for example, the recent launch of 100% Me, and I am looking forward to the challenge of working with the team on developing more proactive opportunities for the promotion of drug-free sport."

The Head of National Anti-Doping role was created following last year’s PMP Review into the UK’s anti-doping programme. One of the recommendations was to "review the current management and reporting structure of the team to ensure it is best placed to maintain the appropriate standards". It was recognised that the management structure needed to be strengthened to ensure the continued development of the domestic anti-doping programme, whilst maintaining and building upon the UK’s position at the forefront of the global fight for drug-free sport.

The PMP Review also led to the setting up of an Independent Scrutiny Panel to be chaired by David Kenworthy, former Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, whose role it will be to scrutinise UK Sport’s anti-doping work to ensure it is fair and consistent for all, and that no conflicts of interest arise.

The testing programme figures released today, which cover the period from 1 April-30 June 2005, show that UK Sport has carried out 1,276 tests across 35 sports. Of these, 41% were conducted out-of-competition, either at squad training sessions, or other venues such as the competitor’s home. This is below the annual target of 50% set out in UK Sport’s Manifesto for Drug-Free Sport, but Scott feels that remains an achievable goal over the coming months.

"I am confident that over the course of the year we will achieve of target of at least 50% of tests being out-of-competition," he said. "This type of testing is widely accepted as being the most effective in terms of a deterrent for anyone who might be tempted to misuse prohibited substances. With this in mind we have developed a new system of gathering whereabouts information on sportsmen and women which will enable us to run a more effective and efficient out-of-competition testing programme. This system is gradually being rolled out across the sports, with swimming, athletics and judo amongst those to come on board."

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