COVID-19 Procedures
As athletes and sports returned to training and provincial health restrictions lifted, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) developed supplemental doping control procedures to enable the safe resumption of urine and blood sample collection, including sample collection in athletes’ homes, under the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP). Urine collection resumed as of July 13, 2020 and blood collection as of October 26, 2020.
The supplemental doping control procedures include necessary safety enhancements for athletes and doping control staff in order to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. The drafting process involved a complete review and risk assessment of each aspect of the doping control process, factoring in guidance from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and provincial health authorities. All personnel have been retrained to incorporate the following supplemental procedures:
- All CCES personnel will complete a COVID-19 self-assessment prior to performing work for the CCES.
- All involved in the process will maintain appropriate physical distancing as much as possible.
- At the time of notification, athletes will be required to complete a COVID-19 self-assessment as well.
- The CCES will initially limit the participants in all testing sessions. This will typically mean only one athlete is tested at a time. As restrictions are lifted, testing session sizes may increase.
- All participants in the testing session must wear protective masks.
- Hand sanitizer will be available for the athlete’s use (and their representative, if applicable).
- There will be very limited sharing of supplies.
Athletes and stakeholders who have completed True Sport Clean 2020 or the True Sport Clean Review course received an email on July 13, 2020 inviting them to complete the Return to Testing online learning module. Those who have not yet completed their online learning in 2020 will complete the module on supplemental procedures as part of their course. The course is also available under the "See Also" section of this web page.
The CCES worked closely with the Return to Sport Task Force, led by Own the Podium (OTP), to develop these procedures, and we are grateful for the advice they provided.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the CCES at [email protected].
