Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport

CCES Focuses on Athlete Education

(Ottawa, Ontario – August 27, 2013) – In its first quarter, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) focused on online education courses for athletes. The CCES provided many organizations and groups with e-learning to maximize the number of athletes reached.

“The CCES offers comprehensive anti-doping education to athletes to help them stay clean and healthy,” said Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES. “The cornerstone of our approach to ethical sport is educating Canadian athletes and their support personnel about their rights and responsibilities.”

True Sport Clean 101, the CCES e-learning course, educates athletes on the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), including information about banned substances and methods, the sample collection process, the whereabouts program, and the risks of supplement use.

During the first quarter, e-learning was launched to all Football Canada athletes (including the Canadian Junior Football League, Ligue de football junior de Québec, and national teams), to college and university athletes preparing for the new season, and to developing athletes heading to the Sherbrooke 2013 Summer Canada Games. Also, all sports that are signatory to the CADP have ongoing access to education.   

“Sport Canada really showed its dedication to clean sport by making e-learning mandatory for all carded athletes,” said Melia. “Approximately 1,800 elite-level athletes will be educated on doping control and the Athlete Assistance Program. Canadians are proud of their athletes and we’d like them to be able to compete on a level playing field.”

Other Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport highlights for the April-June 2013 quarter include:

International initiatives

On June 11, two CCES staff members attended the International Symposium on National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO) Cooperation in Norway. We shared our experience in the field of international cooperation and collaboration. Over the years, the CCES has assisted other NADOs, with developing and implementing their anti-doping programs.

The CCES was also very pleased that Japan joined the Global DRO athlete resource network. The CCES supported the Japanese Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) by helping integrate its drug data into the online resource.

Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference

The CCES was in attendance at the Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine’s (CASEM) annual conference, hosted in Whistler, BC this year. Staff presented an anti-doping session to physicians specializing in the field of sport medicine and hosted a booth.

Ottawa Race Weekend

A True Sport Race Team was organized for the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend in May. True Sport members helped promote good sport while raising over $4,000 for charity.

Doping Control Program Statistics

The CCES conducts testing under the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and also provides doping control services for various national and international clients. The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter. Numbers include tests that are planned, coordinated, and/or collected by the CCES.

For details, see www.cces.ca/files/pdfs/CCES-MR-2013AprJunDetails-E.pdf

Fee-for-service

The CCES conducted 298 urine and 54 blood tests for various clients, including three international events held in Canada:

• World Men’s Curling Championship 2013
• 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship
• 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup

Violations and Sanctions

There were five anti-doping rule violations this quarter. Two-year sanctions were imposed for violations relating to the presence of methylhexaneamine, trenbolone with letrozole, and a refusal to submit to sample collection. A 15-month period of ineligibility was imposed for the presence of SARM-22 and a six-month sanction for the presence of a diuretic.

Athlete Services Statistics

The CCES supports athletes subject to doping control by providing education, processing medical exemptions, and responding to substance inquiries.  The following table summarizes our activity during this quarter. 

Looking Forward – Club Excellence

The Club Excellence Program is managed by the CCES. It is a nationally certified program with a focus on building a network of healthy, strong and sustainable sport clubs and sport organizations across Canada. The program is based on 30 standards which are achievable through three levels of certification. Club Excellence helps clubs build organizational capacity in the areas of program delivery, coaching, people management, governance, financial accountability, as well as marketing, recruitment and revenue generation. More than two dozen clubs, from various sports, are currently working through the standards, with several preparing to undergo the Level 1 certification review.

For more information on the Club Excellence program and its many scheduled workshops and webinars, please visit www.clubexcellence.com.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is an independent, national, not-for profit organization. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. We are committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone. 

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