Memorandum from the British Olympic Association
INTRODUCTION
1. The British Olympic Association (BOA)
is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons,
and at that time consisted of seven National Governing Body members.
The BOA now includes as its members the 35 National Governing
Bodies of each Olympic sport.
2. The BOA is one of 203 NOCs currently
recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC's
role is to lead the promotion of Olympism in accordance with the
Olympic Charter. The Charter details the philosophy, aims and
traditions of the Olympic Movement. The IOC co-opts and elects
its members from among such persons as it considers qualified.
Members of the IOC are its representatives in their respective
countries and not delegates of their countries within the IOC.
3. The BOA is responsible for developing
the Olympic Movement within Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and facilitating and managing the British Olympic Team (Team GB)
at the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games. In addition, the BOA
delivers extensive elite level support services to Britain's Olympic
athletes and their National Governing Bodies throughout each Olympic
cycle to assist them in their preparations for, and performances
at the Games.
4. In particular, the Olympic Medical Institute
(OMI) is a specialist national support centre for high performance
athletes from both Olympic and non-Olympic sports. Established
through a partnership initiated by the British Olympic Association
to involve the English Institute of Sport, the OMI offers world
class support to athletes in the form of residential rehabilitation,
outpatient sports medicine and physiotherapy services, squad-based
sports physiology and cutting edge research developments. The
OMI's highly experienced multi-disciplinary teams provide both
short-term and on-going support to athletes from a wide range
of sports, offering individually tailored packages that minimise
time lost due to injury and ensure optimal performance. Direct
medical support is provided to GB athletes through the Athlete
Medical Scheme and Junior Athlete Medical Scheme covering over
1,500 nominated and potential Team GB members. These schemes provide
comprehensive medical cover to nominated World Class level athletes
and are tailor-made to ensure that the athletes have access to
the best sports specific medical advice when required.
5. Great Britain is one of only five countries
which have never failed to be represented at the Summer Olympic
Games since 1896. Great Britain, France and Switzerland are the
only countries to have been present at all Olympic Winter Games.
Great Britain has also played host to two Olympic Games in London:
in 1908 and 1948. In 2005, London was selected as the host city
for the 2012 Olympic Games.
6. The BOA is one of only two NOCs worldwide
which does not receive government or public finance. The impartiality
this grants the BOA means that it can speak freely as a strong
independent voice for British Olympic Sport.
HUMAN ENHANCEMENT
TECHNOLOGIES IN
SPORT
This submission provides evidence on the Inquiry's
four specific areas of interest.
1. The potential for different HETs, including
drugs, genetic modification and echnological devices, to be used
legally or otherwise for enhancing sporting performance, now and
in the future.
7. The pressures placed upon athletes to
deliver medal winning performances in the greatest sporting arena,
the Olympic Games, is significant. Jacques Rogge, President of
the International Olympic Committee stated in 2001 that "doping
in sport is the biggest threat to the credibility of sport in
the 21st century." Doping in sport is not a new phenomenon
with stimulant abuse reported as far back as the ancient Olympic
Games and during the 1904 Olympic marathon race. There is no doubt
that the advancements in new technologies particularly with regard
to genetic engineering, biotechnology and sports surgery procedures
will serve to increase the potential of the use of HETs to enhance
sporting performances.
8. The BOA recognises that athletes are
placed under immense pressure to perform, and as such seeks to
reinforce the fundamental principles of fair play which underpin
the Olympic Ideal. In 1992, the BOA adopted a bye-law which renders
any athlete found guilty of a doping offence ineligible for selection
to the Great British Olympic Team (this includes accreditation
for support staff and coaches). The BOA's position was supported
by the representative body of British athletes, the Athletes'
Commission, which sent an clear message that sport and its competitors
were supportive of any moves which served to deter athletes from
using prohibited HETs and reinforce the ethical values of Olympism.
2. Steps that could be taken to minimise
the use of illegal HETs at the 2012 Olympics.
9. Through its doping bye-law, the BOA has
taken an extremely strong stance in order to minimise the use
of prohibited HETs amongst Team GB athletes at any Olympic Games,
including during the lead-up to the London Games in 2012. In order
to enhance the remit of the position, particularly in the lead
up to London 2012, the education programme for those young athletes
currently training as part of development or junior squads should
include anti-doping elements and information on the BOA's standpoint.
10. The BOA ensures that all potential Team
GB athletes are included in UK Sport's testing programme within
the six months leading up to an Olympic and Olympic Winter Games.
As part of the Team Member's Agreement signed by each member of
Team GB, athletes specifically agree to comply with the WADC.
3. The case, both scientific and ethical,
for allowing the use of different HETs in sport and the role of
the public, Government and Parliament in influencing the regulatory
framework for the use of HETs in sport.
11. There is no case for allowing the use
of prohibited HETs in sport, based on the ethical argument that
"cheating" as such compromises the Olympic ideal and
the fundamental principles of Olympism. The Olympic Movement Medical
Code (please see Appendix 1) came into effect on 1 January 2006
and was ratified by the BOA as the NOC for Great Britain and Northern
Ireland. The Code states that the Olympic Movement "should
take care that sport is practiced without danger to the health
of the athletes and with respect for fair play and sports ethics."
4. The state of the UK research and skills
base underpinning the development of new HETs, and technologies
to facilitate their detection.
12. At present the level of UK research
and skills surrounding the area of new HETs is limited. Over the
past decade the UK has brought its anti-doping system in line
with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code (WADC). UK Sport is mandated
by the Government to be the national anti-doping organisation
and carries out the anti-doping programme throughout the UK. The
programme primarily focuses on the management of the operational
testing procedures and educational elements, with limited resource
to research the multifaceted area of HETs.
13. The fact that the UK's anti-doping programme
is co-located within the same organisation which has the responsibility
for the elite sport funding programme continues to be a contentious
issue. The BOA's position has been clarified in the past, and
as such concludes that there is a perceived conflict between the
two areas of responsibility. The anti-doping programme should
be independent; independent from individual sports, the sports
funding agency and political influence. Neither the testing, disciplinary
and eligibility aspects of the anti-doping programme should be
associated with the agency which funds the elite sport system.
Dr Roger Jackson reviewed the UK's anti-doping system in 2001
and commented that: "the agency should operate independently
of sport governing bodies (that, for example apply sanctions),
sport funding agencies (that, for example withhold funding if
there is a doping infraction), and governments (that, for example
fund the system), to ensure the credibility of the task."
[32]An
independent anti-doping agency follows the example of emerging
world's best practice, for example, the United States Anti-Doping
Agency (USADA), the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA)
and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).
May 2006
32 Suggested Changes to the United Kingdom Anti-Doping
Agency, and its Policy and Regulations. Dr Roger Jackson, Chairman,
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (May 2001). Back
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