Sport is about competing and performing to the best of your ability—the pursuit of human and sporting excellence. Taking prohibited substances or using prohibited methods is cheating, and can be very damaging to an athlete’s health. Doping undermines the fundamental spirit of sport and severely damages the integrity, image, and value of sport.
Athletes are influential role models for young people. The behaviour of elite athletes can have significant impact on young people as they admire and aspire to emulate their sporting heroes, especially their actions and attitudes.
The CCES, in collaboration with sport organizations, athletes, and coaches, medical support personnel works on behalf of all Canadians to achieve doping-free sport and to protect the right of athletes to compete in a fair and ethical sport environment.
As the body responsible for administering Canada's Anti-Doping Program (CADP), the CCES devotes a significant portion of its resources to promoting doping-free sport. The CADP protects athletes' right to fair and ethical competition, and helps ensure the integrity of amateur sport.
Our mandate is fulfilled through a comprehensive approach involving education, prevention, detection, deterrence, investigations, and support of related research. Testing programs and investigations are a necessary part of this approach: deterring and detecting the use of banned substances and methods.
The CADP is a rigorous program that ensures the accountability and transparency of all aspects of anti-doping including medical exemptions, testing, results and appeals — all in compliance with the mandatory elements of the World Anti-Doping Program.