Anti-Doping

The WRU provides education, awareness and training for players and support staff to ensure that they understand their responsibilities. It also provides ongoing advice and guidance to protect those individuals from inadvertently committing Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV), and from making ill informed decisions that will impact negatively upon them, their clubs and their families.

The WRU is committed to ensuring that the principles of anti-doping are promoted and championed within our sport to ensure that –

1. The ethics and integrity of our game are upheld and preserved by providing a positive values based education to players, athlete support personnel and parents
2. We safeguard the physical and mental health of our players
3. All players have the opportunity to compete equally
4. All players have the opportunity to develop in the game as ambassadors of clean sport

The strategies and Guidance can be found in downloadable form at the bottom of this page

What is a TUE?

There may be situations where a Player has an illness or medical condition that requires them to use a prohibited substance or method. A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) permits an athlete to use an otherwise prohibited substance or method, for therapeutic purposes, whilst continuing to compete in their chosen sport.

Do you need a TUE?

It is a Player’s responsibility to be aware of, and understand, the TUE process, requirements and consequences that apply to them.  These requirements will vary depending on the Player’s medication, their sport, and their competition level.  The TUE Wizard should be used to determine whether, when or how to apply for a TUE.

The TUE Wizard is available here:  https://www.ukad.org.uk/tue-wizard

Search, Check and Apply

Players should always remember to check the anti-doping status of their medications.  Medications prescribed by a doctor or bought directly over the counter may contain prohibited substances. It is a Players’ responsibility to check medication before using it, even if they have used it before

https://www.ukad.org.uk/searchcheckapply

Information in relation to the National TUE Pool, along with various guidance notes and links is available here:  https://www.ukad.org.uk/national-tue-pool

Managing Supplements and knowing the Risks

There are no guarantees that any supplement product is free from banned substances and Players must be fully aware of the risks to their career/playing career if they chose to use a supplement product.   An important principle of the Code is strict liability, which states that athletes are solely responsible for any prohibited substances in their system, regardless of how it got there and if there was an intention to cheat.

For further information around understanding and managing the risks, including the likely consequences, can be found here:    https://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/managing-supplement-risks

The Therapeutic Use Exemption Pool (“TUE” Pool)

We have been advised that the following TUE Pool will apply in Wales and include the following:

1. Wales Men’s Squads (Senior and U20s)
2. Wales Senior Women’s Squad (Fifteens)
3. GB Sevens Squad (Men and Women)
4. United Rugby Championship (Senior and Academy)
5. Registered academy players competing in the WRU Regional U18 Championships
6. Welsh Elite Domestic Competition
7. Welsh Premiership (Senior)
8. Women’s Celtic Challenge (Women’s Senior Squads)

WRU Testing 

The WRU Anti-Doping programme and anti-doping rules require players to submit to testing when notified by an authorised official i.e., Doping Control Officer (DCO) or Chaperone. Testing can take place in the following three ways for all players –

• • In Competition Testing (at a match)
  • Out of Competition Testing at squad training
  • Out of Competition Testing of individuals at home or other venues

Breaking the anti-doping rules can result in a ban from all sport. The Code outlines the Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs). Players (Athletes) and Player (athlete) Support Personnel need to make sure they are fully aware of these violations, and the consequences of breaking them.

Under the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code, there are eleven anti-doping rule violations. All 11 apply to players and the 7 in bold also apply to player support personnel: (these are taken from the WADA Code):

1. Presence –> up to a 4-year ban
2. Use of Attempted Use –> up to a 4-year ban
3. Evading, refusing, or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection –> up to a 4-year ban
4. Whereabouts failures –> up to a 2-year ban
5. Tampering or attempted tampering –> up to a 4-year ban
6. Possession –> up to a 4-year ban
7. Trafficking or attempted trafficking –> 4-years to a lifetime ban
8. Administration (i.e. without aiding or abetting) –> 4-years to a lifetime ban
9. Complicity or Attempted Complicity –> 2-years to a lifetime ban
10. Prohibited Association –> up to 2-years ban
11. Acts by an Athlete or Other Person to Discourage or Retaliate Against Reporting to Authorities–> 2-years to a lifetime ban

A Player is responsible for anything found in their system, regardless of how it got there or whether there is any intention to cheat. All Players and Player support personnel should make themselves aware of the risks, so they don’t receive an unintentional ban from sport.

Useful information for Players can be found on the UKAD website

UKAD eLearning courses applicable to all roles (including Compete Clean+ for athletes) are also available via the Clean Sport Hub here: https://www.ukad.org.uk/cleansporthub

The Prohibited List

All prohibited substances and methods in Code-compliant sports are outlined in the Prohibited List. The Prohibited List is managed and coordinated by WADA, found on the WADA website.

The List is updated each year, coming into effect on 1st January.

It is possible for WADA to make changes to the List more than once a year, but they must communicate such changes three months before they come into effect. As this list is updated annually, athletes and athlete support personnel should make sure they check it ahead of it coming into effect. More information can be found on https://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/whats-banned-sport-prohibited-list

Checking Medications

Before taking any medication (whether from a doctor or purchased over the counter), athletes must check to make sure it doesn’t contain any prohibited substances. Medications (ingredients or brand name) can be checked online at Global DRO

It is important to note that medications bought in one country may contain different ingredients to the same branded medication in another country. For more information on checking medications, visit UKAD’s website

Supplements

UKAD always advises a food first approach to nutrition, as there are no guarantees that any supplement product is free from prohibited substances.

We strongly advise you to be very cautious and vigilant when using ANY supplements. There is no guarantee that they are free from banned substances.

Assess the need: Do you need to take a supplement? Is there anything else that could be used instead of a supplement (i.e. more rest, better nutrition)? Seek expert nutritional/dietary advice, you may not need supplements.

Assess the risks: Consider the potential banned substances which could be in the supplement? Complete your research of what is in the product. You should be particularly careful when considering purchasing any supplements online.

Assess the consequences: Consider the consequences that you could face if found to have a prohibited substance in a sample. Participants can face a four-year ban from sport if they are found to have a prohibited substance in a sample provided.

To reduce the risk when choosing to take a supplement, you should use Informed Sport to see if the product has been batch tested.

More advice on managing supplement risks can be found on the UKAD Supplement Hub

STRICT LIABILITY AND 100% ME

What does it mean? You as a player are solely responsible for any banned substances you use, attempt to use, or any that are found in your system.

This is regardless of how it got into your system or whether there was an intention to cheat.

Not knowing is not an excuse in anti-doping.

100% me is UKAD’s values-based education and information programme, helping athletes meet their anti-doping responsibilities throughout their sporting journey. We want all athletes to be clean, stay clean and believe all others are clean.

For more information on what this means, visit UKAD’s website

UKAD’s 100% me Clean Sport App can also be downloaded from iTunes, Google Play or Windows Live Store, for essential anti-doping information.

Introduction to Testing

Testing is one of the essential components protecting clean sport.

Any UK athlete subject to the anti-doping rules of their sport and non-UK athlete staying, training, residing, entering a competition, or named as a member of a team participating in a competition at any level within the UK is eligible for testing as part of UKAD’s national anti-doping programme. Any athlete eligible for testing can be tested anytime, anywhere.

For more information, please visit https://www.ukad.org.uk/introduction-testing

All SRC and Premiership Clubs are required to provide Anti-Doping out of competition whereabouts information each season to UK Anti-Doping (“UKAD”).

During this part of the season, we know that clubs sometime change their training location, so this is just a reminder to update your whereabouts information if needed.

If you have any amendments to make in relation to change of training venue, time and date, or cancellation of training then please can you inform UKAD of this. There is a form attached for you to submit this information to UKAD.

Please send your respective whereabouts information to:  squads@ukad.org.uk

It is important that everyone plays a part in protecting our Game.  No matter what role you play in sport, if you see something that’s not right it’s your responsibility to report it. Help us keep our sport clean by reporting any suspicions you may have of doping.

📨 pys@reportdoping.com

☎️ Call 0800 032 2332

💻 Search: https://www.ukad.org.uk/protect-your-sport

WRU INTEGRITY HOTLINE

integrity@wru.wales /02920 822200