October 29/14 10:31 am - Cycling Canada Releases Doping Consultation Report

Posted by Editor on 10/29/14
 

The independent consultation firm LLB Strategies, commissioned by Cycling Canada with the support of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), recently submitted its final report on its "National Consultation on Doping Activity in the Sport of Cycling".

The report provides direct testimony of those interviewed, with this testimony being used to determine findings and recommendations.

The full report can be downloaded Here.

[Note: We will be publishing an analysis of the highlights shortly]

The scope of this consultation was limited to gathering information related to doping activity and therefore didn't include researching or studying the situation of doping in Canadian cycling. The consultation's results are based solely on the interviewees' stories.

The findings of the report were broken down into five categories: Cycling culture and performance-enhancing drugs, Decision-making, Key Players, Investigation/Testing, and Education/Prevention.

The consultation's results confirm that there is no doping culture or organized system of doping in Canadian cycling. However, the report found enough evidence of individual doping activities to warrant key strategic measures being taken to better address the issue of doping in cycling.

In addition, the report found that there is no connection between the various Canadian doping cases. The supply chain and the actors involved are all different. It supports the theory that all doping activities were isolated cases that were initiated by individuals, primarily by the athletes themselves.

In terms of supply chains for PEDs, the report found that there is no evidence to suggest that an organized supply chain exists across Canada.

"The findings of this breakthrough report provide us with better understanding of doping activities in the sport of cycling. We are pleased to hear that the report confirms that there is no "culture of doping" in Canadian Cycling," said Greg Mathieu, Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Canada. "That being said, we must remain vigilant and significantly increase our efforts in the promotion and communication of anti-doping initiatives, such as RaceClean."

"We have been very clear in the past that Cycling Canada does not tolerate any athletes who try to cheat on their way to better performances," added Mathieu. "We believe that it is possible to win at Olympic Games, World Championships or any other international or national events without the use of any doping agents.

In the immediate future, Cycling Canada will increase its collaborative efforts with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) to build a comprehensive educational plan. Cycling Canada has been actively working with the CCES to increase the amount of doping test administration at Canadian Championships.

This year, Cycling Canada began to offer mandatory Anti-Doping sessions for junior athletes competing at Canadian Championships. Also, every carded-athlete and National Team member sign an Athlete Agreement, which includes anti-doping clauses. Furthermore, Cycling Canada publishes anti-doping information in its technical guides for each Canadian Championships and National Team projects.

The report did not constitute a study or research on doping activity in cycling. The report presented the results of the consultation conducted through a comprehensive interview process and is reflective of the interviewees' comments and feedback.