First UK Anti-doping Body Set To Open

The UK’s first dedicated anti-doping body to govern sport has announced that it will open its doors later this year on 14th December.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), to be based in London, will take on the responsibility for drug testing from UK Sport.

A confidential ‘drug cheat’ hotline is planned for 2010, along with an athletes’ committee to liaise between UKAD and competitors.

‘It is the latest step in our war on drug cheats and will ensure this country leads the way on anti-doping,’ said Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe.

‘The integrity of sport must not be put at risk and fans need to be confident that the athletes they are watching are clean.

‘With greater links with law enforcement agencies, UKAD will help us catch cheats before they get to the start line.’

UKAD hope the ‘drug cheat’ hotline – aimed at ensuring those suspected of doping are reported – will be up and running shortly after the new agency has settled into its role.

The new national anti-doping organisation will take on the existing testing and education responsibilities currently delivered by UK Sport in the build-up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Headed by chairman David Kenworthy and chief executive Andy Parkinson, UKAD will also ensure centralised management of doping cases and greater links with law enforcement agencies.

The duo insist UKAD will continue to have a strong focus on education while hoping the clean athletes will report both the drug takers and their suppliers.

Information will then be checked out by the intelligence agencies prior to UKAD making any further investigations.

First announced to universal approval in December 2007, the agency was supposed to have opened for business in 2008 but arguments between UK Sport and the Government over start-up costs stalled the project.

However those differences have now been overcome and the separation of UK Sport’s elite performance and drug testing divisions brings Britain in line with established practice in most leading sporting nations.

It also ends any debate over potential conflicts of interest for an agency that both funds and polices British sport.

The ‘athletes’ committee’ is still in the process of being finalised and UKAD could not say whether any person previously convicted of drugs offences in sport would be included.