DRUG FREE SPORT

The website also features a zone specifically for athlete support staff to help raise understanding of anti-doping issues and policies, and how and where to access the information on drug-free sport. A recent survey from UK Sport showed that an increasing number of athletes are turn- ing to their medical staff for advice on anti-doping, and the influence support staff can have on athletes’ attitudes and decisions has never been greater.

With this in mind, UK Sport is striving to ensure support staff are best placed to take on this responsibility. “Support personnel, whether they be a coach, doctor or physiotherapist, have a high- ly influential and important role to play in the development of athletes,” said Allison Holloway, Drug-Free Sport Education Manager at UK Sport. “This is not just performance-related, but also wider behavioural and moral choices an athlete has to make.

“Through ‘100% Me’ we want to ensure support personnel can guide their athletes appropriately on issues of drug-free sport. We need to provide them with relevant, timely and up-to-date infor- mation to make sure they fully understand and value the purpose of the drug testing programme. This, in turn, will allow them to encourage athletes to stay drug-free and importantly to make themselves available for testing at anytime and any where to help maintain their integrity as clean athletes.”

“Finally, coaches and med- ical staff working with ath- letes need to ensure they have positive strategies available when things don’t go right for a com- petition. Not succeeding

or suffering from a major injury can lead to doping. Support staff have a more and legal obligation

to ensure athletes make positive and legitimate choices in the best interests of their health and performance.”

“Athletes turning to support staff for advice need to be confident that the information they receive is informed and appropriate. ‘100% Me’ will help us achieve this aim.”

THE AUTHOR ■ Allison Holloway has been UK Sport’s Drug-Free sport education manager since 2001 where she has overall responsibility for ‘100% Me’. ■ Russell Langley is a communications manager at UK Sport with specific responsibility for the organisation’s work in anti-doping.

LINKS ■ Support 100% Me at www.100percentme.co.uk ■ UK Sport www.uksport.gov.uk

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