Ali Jawad: How a competitors doping took my moment on top of the podium away

Written by Ali Jawad, UKAD Athlete Commission Member for Clean Sport Week, Teamwork in Clean Sport.

To me, clean sport means the ultimate integrity in how I respect the rules, myself, and my competitors to ensure that I can compete on an even level field. It’s always been important to me to win or lose with dignity and respect. It’s the reward of pushing myself physically, emotionally, and mentally through natural means which drives me to constantly improve. 

This importance of clean sport was emphasised when I fell victim of missing out on gold medals due to competitors doping and taking my moment on top of the podium away from me. It is the ultimate feeling of helplessness and anger; nothing can prepare you for breaking the world record twice and still not being on top of the podium with your national flag raised. I don’t want any athlete to experience such a rollercoaster of emotions. However, the experience increased my determination to help the system implement better strategies to reduce the chances of it happening in the future.  

I never classed myself as a role model, as athletes who proudly represent our country, we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a certain way and contribute to a fairer system. However, my role on the UKAD Athlete Commission has allowed me to increase the athlete voice, stay informed and help UKAD implement better strategies to support athletes. It’s also allowed me to experience the importance of collaboration with various stakeholders and develop friendships with some incredible people. More importantly, it has educated me about the structures that govern clean sport so I can ask the right questions.  

As many people know, my passion for clean sport has been constant throughout my career and fighting to protect athletes. My role for British Weight Lifting as a UKAD educator was to help educate athletes and staff to understand their rights and responsibilities. Currently, I am studying a PhD in anti-doping and integrity issues in para sport which I hope can help further inform policy makers in the future. There is so much research that has the potential to change governance of clean sport and it’s help me contribute in my own little way.  

My number one tip for athletes is please keep up to date with the rules! Remember, the strict liability rule means you are solely responsible for everything you implement in your environment. Luckily, there are many resources within your NGB and at UKAD to keep you informed.