Memorandum submitted by the Lawn Tennis
Association
INTRODUCTION AND
JURISDICTION OF
THE LAWN
TENNIS ASSOCIATION
The LTA is the national governing body for tennis
in Great Britain. As such it is affiliated to the International
Tennis Federation (ITF), which is the international governing
body. The ITF is responsible for sanctioning the worldwide calendar
of events, including Grand Slams (The Wimbledon Championships,
Australian Open, US Open, Roland Garros), junior boys and girls
events, as well as the promotion and development of tennis globally.
The ITF has an anti-doping programme that fully complies with
the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) code.
The international professional circuits are
run under the jurisdiction and rules of the Association of Tennis
Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
Both these organisations run anti-doping programmes in relation
to the professional events organised under their jurisdiction.
This involves a testing programme and management of results including
the carrying out of disciplinary procedures and the imposition
of sanctions.
The LTA also runs an anti-doping programme in
relation to national players and events managed under its jurisdiction,
such as national championships and British tour events. It does
not carry out testing at either Wimbledon (ITF) or any of the
international professional tennis events run under the jurisdiction
of the ATP or WTA. The LTA's anti-doping rules have been updated
as of this year (2004) and are WADA compliant.
LTA COMMENTS ON
TERMS OF
REFERENCE
LTA Policy for Drug Free Sport and Extent of the
Problem in GB Tennis
The LTA is totally committed to promoting and
running a drug free sport within its jurisdiction:
— LTA anti-doping rules are WADA compliant
and in accordance with the WADA Code.
— The LTA jurisdiction covers testing,
both in and out of competition, of all British players including
when they are nominated to represent Great Britain in Davis Cup,
and when competing in National Competitions. Testing during competition
at Davis Cup is done by the ITF under their rules.
— The ATP and WTA are responsible for
the testing of all professional male and female tennis players
participating on their respective tours and for the administration
of any positive tests that arise therefrom.
— The LTA does not believe that there
is a general problem with the use of banned substances in tennis.
This belief is supported by the fact that, until Greg Rusedski's
positive test in 2003, there has not been a positive test of a
British player for over 15 years.
— The top GB professional men's players,
Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Arvind Parmar are tested regularly,
both in and out of competition, by the ATP and ITF. For example,
during the 2003 season Tim Henman was tested seven times in competition,
once out of competition and had two blood tests. In comparison,
it is estimated that athletes competing in team sports are tested
once a year on average, which increases in Olympic or World Cup
competition years.
— The LTA is committed to its education
programme for all British players regarding the use of banned
substances. The LTA has always advised players against the use
of supplements. Since the Greg Rusedski case the LTA has been
reviewing its anti-doping communications programme for all British
junior players.
The Approach and Regimes of Different Sports
The LTA testing system within Great Britain
is WADA compliant:
— The LTA understands and supports
the WADA intention to have a harmonised approach to a drug free
culture in sport.
— The LTA is unable to comment on the
approaches taken within different sports.
The Role and Performance of DCMS and UK Sport
The LTA believes that the UK should have an
independent NADO (National Anti Doping Organisation):
— The LTA proposed this view to the
PMP review of UK Sport Drug Free Sports Directorate, (commissioned
by UK Sport in January 2004).
— The LTA does not deal directly with
DCMS on doping matters.
Progress by the LTA in adopting the WADA Code
— The LTA can confirm that its anti-doping
rules are WADA compliant and in accordance with the WADA Code.
— The list of prohibited substances
and doping methods is the same as those set out in the anti-doping
programme of the ITF and follows the WADA code.
The Importance of Educational Initiatives and
Processes
The LTA cannot over-emphasize the importance
of education to ensure drug free sport:
— The LTA is very active in educating
GB tennis players and a review into the education process for
all its players regarding the use of supplements is in progress.
— The LTA continues to run its anti-doping
communications programmes for all British junior players and has
worked with the ITF in relation to its education programmes.
— To date there has been little support
for educational initiatives for tennis from UK Sport; their focus
and budget has been directed towards the testing of tennis players.
The Importance of Athletes as Role-Models
The LTA understands the importance of players
as good role models, especially for young people:
— The LTA believes that British tennis
role models, such as Tim Henman, present a very positive image.
This view was upheld in the UK Sport review into Sporting Conduct
(November 2001)[1]
where 85% of sports spectators (of mixed sports) surveyed thought
that professional tennis players were good role models.
— This report commented that 92% of
spectators questioned believed professional male and female tennis
players acted in a fair and sporting way.
— A general conclusion was that there
is a perception of a decline in the standards of conduct of players
in cricket and football, a maintenance of standards in golf and
in fact, an improvement in tennis.
— The research further found that,
taken as a whole, 70% of supporters thought that professional
sportsmen and women were good role models for children, while
85% of tennis supporters thought that professional players in
their sport were good role models.
— The LTA endorses and champions an
active and healthy lifestyle, supporting Government initiatives,
such as combating obesity.
— Participation in tennis in Britain
is represented by a good gender balance (male 55%, female 45%)[2]
and the proportion of players of ethnic origin is in line with
the overall proportion of ethnic people in Great Britain.
— The LTA is proud to support initiatives
such as City Tennis Clubs and Sport Relief aimed at greater social
inclusion; the LTA record demonstrates its commitment to provide
accessibility to tennis in all areas. Since November 2000 the
LTA has committed £1 million in grant aid to the LTA City
Tennis Clubs programme focusing on deprived inner-city areas where
there is under-provision of tennis facilities.
— The City Tennis Club scheme has ensured
that more than 25,000 kids a week are receiving tennis provision
and has links with over 260 schools in an outreach programme.
— The LTA provides substantial funding
to local authorities and its affiliated clubs. A non-negotiable
condition of this funding is that the club/centre must have a
policy of open access, no elitist behaviour, no restrictive rules
(such as a playing-in test) and be junior orientated.
— The LTA has an excellent relationship
with the specialist sport college sector where it has invested
over £1 million pounds of its own fund within 46 specialist
sports colleges that have tennis as a focus sport.
12 April 2004
1 Sporting Conduct: a survey of sports spectators'
perceptions of the values and norms of selected professional sports,
November 2001. Dr Mike McNamee, Leisure and Sport Research Unit. Back
2
LTA Tennis Tracker, 2002. Paul Winstone Research. Back
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