
Ukad received record number of tip-offs in 2024
A record number of whistleblowers reported suspicions of sports doping in the UK to it in 2024, UK Anti-Doping says.Ukad's intelligence and investigations team received 211 reports of suspected doping misconduct across 30 sports last year.The Protect Your Sport initiative was launched in 2020 to encourage whistleblowers to report anonymously.And the number of reports has increased year on year since then, with Ukad receiving 184 across 25 sports in 2023, and 110 in 2022."It's important to Ukad that athletes and the sporting community feel safe talking to us, and that we normalise the reporting of doping in sport," Ukad's head of intelligence and investigations Mario Theophanous said."One of the main reasons that we release these reporting numbers is to show individuals who are unsure or uncertain about reporting that you're not alone - there are others like you who want to protect the integrity of their sport."Ukad recently launched an anonymous SMS and WhatsApp service for reporting suspected misconduct."The service allows our investigators to reply to the person reporting in real time, gathering the necessary evidence we need to conduct our investigations," Theophanous added."We hope to encourage other individuals who may have information but fear reporting it, to take the decisive action and raise their concerns to 'Protect Your Sport' anonymously."

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The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
Anti-doping watchdog urges US authorities to shut down planned drug-fueled event in Las Vegas
The global watchdog of doping in sports said Wednesday it will urge public authorities to shut down the drug-fueled Enhanced Games planned in Las Vegas next year. 'We will urge the U.S. authorities to find legal ways to block this initiative,' World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka said on the sidelines of a meeting of Olympic sports bodies. Organizers of the games scheduled for next May promise $1 million bonuses to beat world-record times by athletes who will be encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision. 'This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,' Banka told leaders of Summer Olympics sports at the annual meeting of their umbrella group, known as ASOIF. 'For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport of course it must be stopped,' the WADA leader said. Banka, a former sports minister in Poland, suggested the Enhanced Games could be legally exposed in the state of Nevada or federally. 'This is something that has to be explored from the legal perspective,' he told The Associated Press. 'I cannot imagine, for instance, doctors giving the drugs to the athletes. It is completely against the values of their work.' 'The main thing is this event is going to be located in the U.S., so I think there is a strong role to be played by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency,' said Banka, whose Montreal-based organization has long had a troubled relationship with the American agency. Said USADA's chief executive, Travis Tygart: 'Banka's indignation equals his misinformation or ignorance about how free democratic societies and markets work.' He challenged Banka to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing next week at which WADA will be the topic. 'If he really wants to ask U.S. authorities to do something, he should show up and ask the Senate to do something,' Tygart said. Investors in the project — which aims to sell personalized supplements and substances plans to subscribers — include one group backed by Donald Trump Jr. The doping-backed project was 'very embarrassing' for the U.S., Banka suggested, given its proximity to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Swimming's governing body, World Aquatics, said last week it will ban athletes, coaches and officials who take part in the Enhanced Games. ___


Reuters
6 days ago
- Reuters
Guliyev to be stripped of 2012 Olympic medal after CAS dismisses appeal on ban
June 6 (Reuters) - Ekaterina Guliyev is set to lose the 800 metres silver medal she won for Russia at the 2012 Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed her appeal against a four-year doping ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday. Guliyev, who competed for Russia before switching allegiance to Turkey, was banned for two years in April 2024 for the period from March 2023 for the use of a prohibited substance, with the AIU disqualifying her results from July 17, 2012 until October 20, 2014. The 2012 Olympics were held from July 27-August 12. Competing as Ekaterina Poistogova, she finished third in the 2012 Olympic final. But Guliyev was upgraded to silver when Russian winner Mariya Savinova was found guilty of doping offences, before she herself was also banned for doping. "In reaching its judgement, CAS upheld the decision to disqualify the 34-year-old's results from 17 July 2012 to 20 October 2014, confirming the loss of her reallocated Olympic silver medal," the AIU said in a statement. "World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are now proceeding with the next steps." World Athletics' competition department will now disqualify her results and then notify the IOC. The IOC may then proceed with the reallocation of Olympic medals, with Kenyan Pamela Jelimo set to be awarded the silver while American Alysia Montano will be moved up to the bronze medal position. The women's middle distance events at the London Olympics were heavily tainted by doping with two other runners in the 800m final since having had their results voided - Savinova and Russian Elena Arzhakova. Guliyev is one of hundreds of athletes who have been sanctioned following the 'Operation LIMS' investigation into Moscow's anti-doping laboratory which uncovered widespread institutionalised doping.


Reuters
03-06-2025
- Reuters
World Aquatics adopts bylaw to stop doping enablers amid Enhanced Games furore
June 3 (Reuters) - World Aquatics introduced a new bylaw on Tuesday that will prevent any athlete or official who supports or endorses doping from competing or holding any positions after a Greek swimmer supported by the Enhanced Games 'broke' the world record. With the help of the controversial programme, Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev swam the men's 50 metres freestyle in 20.89 seconds to shave 0.02 seconds off the long-standing record set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo in 2009. Gkolomeev, who has competed at four Olympics and came fifth in the event at the Paris Games last year with a time of 21.59 seconds, said he had gained "an extra 10 pounds of muscle" before the attempt. Enhanced Games had declined to disclose which "performance enhancements" the 31-year-old used. "Individuals who support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices ... will not be eligible to hold positions with World Aquatics or to participate in any World Aquatics competitions, events, or other activities," World Aquatics said. The practices can include either prohibited substances or prohibited methods. "This ineligibility would apply to roles such as athlete, coach, team official, administrator, medical support staff, or government representative," the governing body added. The Enhanced Games operate under the principle that banning performance-enhancing drugs in major competitions does not protect athletes but rather stifles their performance, and called on athletes to join the competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency had condemned the Enhanced Games as "dangerous and irresponsible", while Olympic 50 metres freestyle champion Cam McEvoy said Gkolomeev's time was 'irrelevant' to the sport. "Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events," World Aquatics president Husain Al Musallam said. "This new bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community." The Enhanced Games have set their inaugural competition for May 2026 in Las Vegas, with swimming, athletics and weightlifting on the agenda.