COVID-19 Procedures
As athletes and sports return to training and provincial health restrictions are lifted, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) has developed supplemental doping control procedures to enable the safe resumption of urine sample collection, including sample collection in athletes’ homes, under the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) effective July 13, 2020.
The CCES has developed a set of supplemental doping control procedures that include the 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.
- Only urine sample collection will occur until CCES has developed the appropriate safety enhancements deemed necessary for blood collection.
- At the time of notification, athletes will be required to complete a COVID-19 self-assessment as well.
- 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. Anne Merklinger, CEO of OTP, said “the CCES was an active collaborator with the Return to Sport Task Force, ensuring that plans to resume doping control testing are consistent with public health guidelines and align with all of the many other return to high performance sport considerations.”
“At the very core of our return-to-testing plan is the health and safety of our athletes and our sample collection personnel,” said Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES. “The CCES would like to thank athletes and sport organizations for their cooperation and assistance with the implementation of the supplemental sample collection procedures.”
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the CCES at [email protected].
