On the eve of the Cycling Marathon and Race, which took place over the weekend in Moscow and other cities of Russia, the RUSADA Conference, dedicated to anti-doping in mass amateur sports, was held.
The question of the need for doping testing of amateur athletes caused a heated discussion; the variety of positions on this issue between representatives of the legislative branch and organizers of mass sports events confirmed the relevance of the chosen topic.
The organizers of the Moscow Marathon and Zabeg.rf, Dmitry Tarasov and Ksenia Shoigu, spoke about what anti-doping measures they use at their competitions, and also shared their experience of preparing for marathons as participants.
Olympic Champion in canoe Maxim Opalev proposed expanding the coverage of anti-doping educational programs not only to amateur athletes, but also to students and schoolchildren. In addition, he emphasized the need to define a list of prohibited substances for which amateur athletes will be tested.
First Vice-President of the All-Russian Athletics Federation, Olympic Champion Irina Privalova shared her position on the issue of testing participants in mass sports events: “By the fact of participation in competitions, an amateur athlete already consents to doping testing.”
RUSADA General Director Veronika Loginova summed up the results of the Conference:
“The way the concept of “amateur athlete” will be spelled out in the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules will depend on our discussion and the position of the sports community. And now it is important to note that all organizers of mass sports events prescribe anti-doping rules in the competition regulations. Participants in such competitions must be familiar with these rules and comply with them.”
All speakers noted that the creation of an anti-doping environment in amateur sports is an important step to ensure fair and safe competitions.
We hope that the RUSADA Conference will give impetus to the formation of a position of zero tolerance towards doping not only in professional, but also in amateur sports!
