The National Sports Tribunal CEO John Boultbee says the tribunal is an “overdue” opportunity for sporting bodies, athletes and support personnel. “It’s the first time Australia has had its own Sports Tribunal to hear all matters from all sports and to be at arm’s length from the sports and provide an independent and transparent service,” Boultbee says. The highly respected senior sports administrator and lawyer says the tribunal provides a cost-effective, efficient, independent and transparent avenue for the resolution of sporting disputes. The tribunal will hear anti-doping violations, disciplinary disputes, selection and eligibility disputes, and matters relating to bullying, harassment and discrimination. “We have 40 tribunal members, they are the people who will hear cases and conduct mediations in the tribunal,” Boultbee says. “They come from outside of Government, they come from outside of sports organisations and some even from outside of sports, so they are truly independent and not appointed by sports that might be a party to the dispute.” Panel members include former athletes, sports administrators and experts in specialist areas such as anti-doping and medicine. The tribunal will run on an opt-in basis. For those sports that already have a tribunal, Boultbee says athletes can choose to use the NST or retain their current system. The creation of the Tribunal, along with Sport Integrity Australia, was identified in the Wood Review as part of a whole package of governance reforms designed to protect athletes and sport. In our segment, “So I was wondering” our Senior Education Officer Cheryl Kalthofen explains why ASADA does not approve or endorse any supplements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Sport Integrity Australia opening to the public on July 1, new Chief Executive Officer David Sharpe talks about the dangers sports will face in the future in the latest episode of On Side. Sharpe admits there are a “lot of challenges ahead”, particularly in the current COVID-19 climate. “If you took me back three or four months ago, I would have said the greatest threats in sport are organised crime infiltrating sport and vulnerabilities in sport,” Sharpe says, “but right at the moment I think the immediate threat that has been exposed is the fact that the COVID virus has led to an economic downturn in sport and staff have been reduced across education, integrity and welfare units and I think that really has exposed some major vulnerabilities across sporting bodies.” He says the loss of structure in athletes’ day-to-day lives poses potential problems, too. “Athletes and sporting bodies have very structured organisations; athletes are told when to arrive, when to sleep, when to eat, when to train, and what goes into their body, without that supervision on a day-to-day basis it really exposes them to vulnerabilities around making decisions that they don’t normally, or haven’t normally, had to make. “From that, it opens up opportunities for organised crime to go in and exploit them and use that to their benefit in betting markets.” Sport Integrity Australia will oversee integrity issues such as the manipulation of sporting competitions, use of drugs and doping methods, abuse, bullying, and discrimination in sport, however Sharpe says the organisation will not work alone. Also on On Side, Steve Northey, our Assistant Director - Sport Operations, answers the question from the public about athletes being tested while overseas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features two of our Doping Control state managers John Rhodes (Victoria) and Alissa Ready (Queensland). John and Alisa commenced their newly created roles in July to be a conduit between the Canberra office, regional staff and sports. John, who has a background in anti-corruption, says the perception of ASADA of the past has been “misrepresented” and is happy to see this perception has changed in recent times. Alisa agreed. She said that ASADA was seen as the “bad guy” but is much more athlete-centric now, helping athletes to comply with the rules. “The DCO and chaperones are going out and really trying to engage with athletes and the [sporting] organisations and trying to educate them, while waiting for athletes to produce a sample,” she said. “DCOs and chaperones play a key education role, they educate athletes about supplements, medications; it’s about helping athletes and enabling them.” John added: “The professional standing of our operators in the field is really first class.” In the “So I was wondering…” segment, our Director of Legal answers a question from the public, this week it’s “What is prohibited association?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While COVID-19 has shut down sport in Australia and around the world, ASADA’s CEO David Sharpe says our role in protecting sport is “more critical than ever”. “There’s a lot of pressure on athletes and right now, more than ever, ASADA’s role is to look at the environment and ensure that we are still able to effectively protect the environment for the future of sport,” Sharpe says. It’s important to understand that testing is only one component of what ASADA does to protect the integrity of sport, Sharpe says. “It [our role] is multi-faceted,” he says. “At the moment, while testing has reduced, we still have the capacity to identify any significant threats or areas where we may need to conduct testing. “We are constantly assessing and constantly replanning our testing missions and capability to be ready to go should there be a requirement.” Our Chief Science Officer Dr Naomi Speers has helped lead ASADA’s COVID-19 response with the safety of athletes and our staff the “priority”, she says. “Obviously there has been significant impact on our field operations and we’re really conscious of ensuring that athletes are kept safe with any testing we do and that our staff are kept safe and we’ve put in place process and procedures that will ensure that,” Dr Speers said. We also answer a question from the public: “Why does ASADA keep samples for 10 years?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart has dealt with some of the biggest anti-doping cases in history, such as the scandals involving Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones. Tygart says “nobody ever likes to have to hold a global icon accountable or take away five medals from a Marion Jones”. “Those are tough moments and you wish those athletes hadn’t made the decision to cheat,” he says. Despite receiving numerous death threats as a result, Tygart remains committed to clean, fair sport. “Whether it’s an American or an Australian, if you cheat and break the rules, you should be held accountable and that’s the code that we’ve all agreed to.” He’s very passionate about keeping the integrity in sport at all times and is not afraid to say what he thinks, always pointing to his “north star” - clean athletes. Our Medical Officer Larissa Trease also answers a question from the public about the prohibited substance GW1516, why it is banned and the health risked associated; and we detail our suite of online education programs – from Level Two to Clean Sport 101 – that are tailored to all athletes from elite to grassroots. For more: https://elearning.asada.gov.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medallist Petria Thomas has a message for all athletes - “You don’t need to cheat to be good”. Petria joins us on the Podcast this week to discuss the role anti-doping plays to ensure a level playing field and how the process has developed over time. “It [testing] is a part of being an elite athlete,” she says. “It’s not just about enduring the testing, it’s about actually being an advocate for clean sport as well and really pushing the message out that you don’t need to cheat to be good.” She also discusses her role on ASADA’s Athlete Advisory Group and the importance of athletes being able to have a voice in the anti-doping world. “Athletes are the biggest stakeholder in sport. They have the most to lose if sport goes belly up so it’s really important that they have a seat at the table and are heard and their feedback is considered in the way that sport is developed and run into the future.” ASADA’s Senior Education Officer Cheryl Kalthofen answers a question from the public regarding the best way is to educate junior athletes about anti-doping. Complete Clean Sport 101 here: https://elearning.asada.gov.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode focuses on an anti-doping education collaboration between the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ). USADA’s Elite Education Manager Tammy Hanson says while there are a lot of similarities between the programs, collaborating and sharing resources was “invaluable”. “We’re questioning everything that we do, pushing forward, making changes if they’re for the better and making sure we’re leaning on our resources - to collaborate, not to work in silos, but to share resources…” she says. “It enables the agencies to bounce ideas and discuss the best approaches and messaging for athletes.” ASADA’s A/G Director of Education and Innovation Alexis Cooper says the challenge is capturing the attention of athletes, parents, coaches, and the sporting community through new technologies. “Anti-doping is often not the most exciting thing that athletes want to talk about,” Cooper says. “They would often rather be training so what we do is use new technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, apps, those sorts of things to try to cut through and engage the audiences and get them interested.” They both agreed that education is about building positive cultures, ensuring athletes understand how choosing to take performance enhancing drugs impacts them, their reputation and their country’s reputation. “We’re not fighting a war on drugs, we are fighting a win-at-all-costs mentality,” Hanson says, “so anything that we can do to help them (athletes) really start thinking about the decisions that they make, that using a dietary supplement is a thought, it’s a decision; trusting a coach when they give you advice, that’s a decision that you’re making; not reporting doping or reporting it, that’s a decision…” ASADA's Assistant Director of Operations also joins this episode providing an answer to the question "Are doping protocols the same everywhere?".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 2 of On Side. Today’s episode features 2008 and 2012 Paralympic cycling gold medallist Michael Gallagher. Prior to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Gallagher tested positive for recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO) at a training camp in Italy. Still under sanction, Gallagher talks about the biggest impact his sanction had on him and what drove him to “cross a dark line”. “It [sanction] is still something I think about regularly,” Gallagher says. “I took a long time to recover from it… [and did] a lot of self-reflecting.” Gallagher is now a member of ASADA’s Athlete Advisory Group (AAG), which comprises a number of current and former athletes, including athletes who have lost medals to drug cheats. “Sports a passionate thing, and people have the right to feel strongly about certain people’s decisions, but I think my story, and people meeting me in person, probably makes doping seem a lot less black and white,” he says. “That you can be a good person, an honest person, but head down the wrong way.” Our athlete services officer Di Tucknott also answers a question about logging your whereabouts, along with our sports operations manager Steve Northey delivering a 'fast fact' about anti-doping tests conducted last financial year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Susan White, an inaugural member of the very first Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) committee in Australia, last month celebrated 20 years on the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC).   Dr White, who has been the committee chair for the past five years, has reviewed over 4,500 TUE applications and renewals. Recognised as a global expert and leader in the field of Anti-Doping Medicine, Dr White and her ASDMAC colleagues have developed processes that have been applied internationally and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).   “ASMDAC was probably the first recognised TUE committee in the world,” she said.   The process has evolved over the year and become much more formalised over time, she added.   “An athlete, who is part of a sport that has a drug-testing program, should always check whatever medication they’re taking before they take it and check to see if is prohibited by WADA, if it is prohibited and there isn’t a reasonable an alternative, they need to apply for a TUE.”   A TUE is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method (of administering a substance).   In order to be granted a TUE, Dr White says an athlete needs to prove the following: · The prohibited substance or method is needed to treat a medical condition; · There will be no extra medical enhancement other than returning that athlete to normal health; · There is no permitted therapeutic alternative; and · The necessity for the use of the prohibited substance or method is not a consequence of the prior use of a prohibited substance or method prohibited.   She says ASDMAC approves approximately 200-300 a year for conditions ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to arthritis.   Dr White has worked on five Olympic Games and three Paralympic Games in a variety of roles ranging from Team Physician to Medical Director for the International Medical Commission, Australian Olympic Commission and Swimming Australia.   “All of us (on the committee) still have an involvement in sport,” she says. “It’s very important that we have that understanding of what happens on the ground. It’s very good to see both sides of it, so you understand the process from beginning to end.”   Our science team also answers a question from our audience - Is caffeine prohibited in sport? – and provide you a fast fact about the strict liability principle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re never too young for anti-doping education!   That’s the view of Drug Free Sport NZ (DFSNZ) Education Manager Sian Clancy.   Sian believes the perfect time to ensure they develop as a clean athlete is when a person is developing the limbs and mindsets that will set them on the pathway to be an athlete.   We also learn how the similarities between Australian and New Zealand athletes have laid the platform for ASADA and DFSNZ to collaborate on their education programs. “For our messages to be aligned and for our approaches to be similar only strengthens clean sport of both our countries and hopefully internationally as well,” Sian explains.   We are also joined by Naomi Speers, ASADA’s chief science officer. Naomi explains the status of contraceptive medications and the importance of using GlobalDro to check your substances.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side, we speak to Andrew Collins, ASADA’s Chief Information Officer.   A self-confessed nerd, Andrew has always been interested in technology and loves pulling things apart. A university degree led him to Defence intelligence where he was introduced to the world of cyber security. Andrew was brought to ASADA to lead our digital transformation to a paperless organisation and to help protect our data, such as athletes’ records.   “We have to be prepared,” Collins says as ASADA exists in a global environment where it is exposed to large number of threats including state-sponsored threats. This preparation includes engaging in a number of partnerships with government organisations and corporate partners. “At the end of the day, together we are all stronger.” He says ASADA is very protective of the information that it holds. “At the end of the day we are entrusted to hold this information and we are very conscious that it is a position of trust.”   We also explore whether an athlete can leave a test session if they have to catch a flight and how to use the ASADA app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work at ASADA? We asked University of Canberra student John Vandermeide, who has finished a professional placement here with the science team, exactly that. “It’s definitely been very eye-opening because it is a very particular mix of science and kind of law-enforcement,” John says. “It’s definitely an amazing opportunity that I’ve had.” In his third year of an Applied Science in Forensic Studies degree, John recently undertook a 15-week professional placement as part of UC’s Memorandum of Understanding with ASADA. During his stint John was tasked with building a substance database for the anti-doping authority. “It’s definitely a new experience, something I have been happy I’ve been able to do,” he says. John leaves ASADA with an appreciation of the benefits of keeping sport clean and fair. “It’s been very interesting to see the other side of it….it is so important to make sure that the playing field is even and so there are no unfair advantages.” Also joining the show this week is our Strategic Adviser Michael Harkins, who talks about why anti-doping is important and discusses his passion in sport. "Personally, I think doping robs the opportunity for someone to either stand on their rightful place on the podium or someone to miss their spot on a team," Michael says. "I still sort of pinch my self today that I am working at ASADA, it's a place I've wanted to work at for a long time and I have real passion for sport so to be able to work in sport, it's pretty special." We conclude by giving you a fun fact about our education sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AIS Chief Medical Officer Dr David Hughes talks about the issues of inclusion in sport following the release of the Guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport in June. Sport Australia, in consultation with the Australian Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, whose members include the AFL, Tennis Australia, Rugby Australia, Netball Australia and Cricket Australia, established guidelines for the nation to promote more inclusive practices for transgender and gender diverse people in sport. Dr Hughes says transgender and gender diversity is not a sport issue, it’s a societal issue. “It’s important that sport at all time reflects societal changes, and moves with societal changes,” Dr Hughes says. “Transgender individuals have for many years been on the margins of society and not accepted in the main stream and I think sport has an important role here by promoting diverse gender inclusion to ensure that every Australian fulfils their right to have their life enriched by sport.” The guidelines include information, case studies and steps to ensure an inclusive sporting environment. He says the document is targeted at the grassroots and has relevance for elite sports, but “I don’t think its purpose is to try and sort out the complex issues that specifically apply to high performance sport where there are issues between getting the balance right between fairness and inclusion”. “Everyone has the right to compete and enjoy the benefits sport offers but at the highest levels of sport, fairness is critical,” he says. “At the grassroots, we should err on the side of inclusion.” Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan MicallefSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side we meet swimming World Championship bronze medallist Kurt Herzog, our Clean Sport Educator, who made his Australian debut at the relatively late age of 23.   Kurt, who jokes that for many years he was the “slower twin”, says he became increasingly passionate about clean sport as his career took off.   “[After] putting years and years of training into your chosen sport you want to make sure there is a clean playing field, especially when you get to that higher level and competing internationally,” Kurt says. “I grew really passionate about it over the years.”   He says his motivation for the role as an ASADA educator is simple: “I’m always happy to give back to the athletes.”   We also answer a question about athletes’ rights during testing and give you an ASADA fast fact.   This podcast goes behind the scenes of ASADA and meets the people associated with clean fair sport, it answers questions relating to anti-doping and educates you about clean fair sport. ASADA’s mission is to protect the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport.   Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan MicallefSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side, we talk to Margaret Anderson, a former PE teacher and our Doping Control Officer. Anderson, who has a life-long love of sport, says athletes “are usually pretty cooperative” when asked to provide a urine sample however “it might depend on whether they won or lost”. She says her motivation to work for the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority was because she believed in Clean Fair sport. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time,” she says.  “I think it’s getting harder and harder to, I guess, protect the clean fair sport ideal but we try and do that the best we can with the knowledge that we all have.” Anderson also worked as a school sport officer in South Australia and says she was thrilled at watching young children develop their skills, particularly when they weren’t naturally gifted. She now has a grand final medal named in her honour in South Australia.   We also explain how you can support suspicious activity and how you can be one of the 95,000 people who access our e-learning education tools. Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel. Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan Micallef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side, we talk to Nick Paterson, the Chief Executive Officer of Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) about our collective commitment to clean fair sport.   “As ever there is plenty of competitiveness and banter in there, but certainly working together, collaborating, is the only way to address it (anti-doping), the only way to approach it,” Paterson says. “It’s about getting in front of athletes and working with athletes domestically, and then working internationally to raise standards and ensure that we are all competing on a level-playing field.”   Like ASADA, Paterson says DFSNZ is athlete-focused, supporting athletes and sports to compete on the world stage clean.   “All of our educators now are former or current athletes so they are actually out educating the teams, they can relate directly with their own stories that people can understand and talk directly to the hearts of the audience,” he says.   Paterson, a former forensic accountant and fraud investigator, says DFSNZ also have confidentiality undertakings.   “We have (a) very similar scenario (to ASADA), ours is actually entrenched in legislation and it says we cannot speak publically about a case or an individual until the proceedings, any proceedings, are completed, unless the athlete speaks out, unless someone else speaks out and we need to actually correct the record to some degree. But the basic premise is confidentially exists and we can’t speak, and neither can the sports, and that’s really to protect our athletes, all of our work has to be focused on the athletes, the athletes are at the centre of everything that we do.   “If we have an athlete that is named and shamed before evidence has been properly considered and heard, we don’t think that’s fair, we need to give them a chance to tell their story.”   Paterson says he is concerned at their research which suggests that New Zealand athletes – at all levels – are taking supplements.   “We know athletes are taking them so now we’re trying to provide better information so people can make informed decisions about whether they take them or not,” he says.   “At the lower levels, your Saturday afternoon footy players, what do they know about the contents of their supplement? Do they need to take it? What risks are they taking on? We just want to give people more information.”   We also discuss whether athletes can refuse a drug test and look at the serious health consequences for German athletes, who were given anabolic steroids during the 1970s and 1980s.​   Our mission is to protect the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport. This podcast goes behind the scenes of ASADA and people associated with clean fair sport, it answers questions relating to anti-doping and educates you about clean fair sport.   Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel. Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan Micallef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side Darren Mullaly, our Deputy CEO – Legal, Education and Corporate, discusses why ASADA has confidentiality undertakings with national sporting organisations (NSOs).   Mullaly says ASADA’s default position on the disclosure of protected information is to maintain confidentiality, however there is some flexibility.   “The confidentiality undertakings don’t restrict sports in all cases, there’s sufficient flexibility built into those arrangements where ASADA can talk with sports and make decisions on a case-by-case basis because … as we know every single one of these cases is different,” Darren says.   “We need the flexibility in those arrangements to be able to take into account things like an athlete’s welfare, which is going to vary from case to case, from sport to sport, from event to event, and other considerations like the operational advantage ASADA gets in terms of exercising its powers and a range of operational considerations that are built around that.”   We also discuss whether athletes on the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) can being tested outside their designated hour, and how ASADA’s education reaches all levels: sports, schools and support personnel, parents, and students.   This podcast goes behind the scenes of ASADA, it answers questions relating to anti-doping and educates you about clean fair sport.   Our mission is to protect the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport.   Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel. Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan Micallef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of On Side we meet scientist Shereen Naz, who also studied vet science and pathology.   Shereen migrated to Australia from Pakistan and talks proudly of how she celebrated Ramadan with her colleagues earlier this year. “The way ASADA celebrated with me pre-Ramadan - that memory will stay with me forever ... This is how we can bridge those gaps which are due to misperceptions.”   We also discuss how long illicit drugs stay in your system and the dangers that supplements pose to not only your sporting career, but your health.   This podcast goes behind the scenes of ASADA and meets the people associated with clean fair sport, it answers questions relating to anti-doping and educates you about clean fair sport. Our mission is to protect the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport.   Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel. Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan Micallef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to On Side, the official podcast of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).   ASADA is globally recognised for continually setting new benchmarks in operating and delivering an effective anti-doping program. Our mission is to protect the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport.   This podcast goes behind the scenes of ASADA and meets the people associated with clean fair sport, it answers questions relating to anti-doping and educates you about clean fair sport.   In this episode of On Side, we meet former Olympic bronze medallist and 1997 World Short Course Champion Emma Johnson, our Director of Sport Operations and Engagement. "ASADA has put a lot of energy into building relationships with sports and athletes and trying to tailor our work so we are working with sports rather than against them to try to reduce the risks of doping and sports are generally onside with that approach now,” Johnson says. “One of the real drivers of ASADA in the last two years or more is to engage with athletes more… so we can tailor our work to what athletes need and want and to help them and work with them better.”   We also explain what a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is and of the 10 Anti-Doping Rules violations under the World Anti-Doping Code, only one requires a positive test to establish an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed.   Produced by Lyndall Larkham & Tim Gavel. Recorded, edited & mixed by Ryan Micallef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.