UK Anti-Doping educates skateboard athletes in preparation for Olympic Games debut

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) partnered with World Skate, the governing body for skateboarding, to provide education to skateboard athletes at the Copper Box Arena in London, last week.

The event, which was part of the World Skate/SLS London Pro Open, saw every athlete in attendance participate in a UKAD education seminar, as part of World Skate’s ongoing plan to educate skaters.

In a strategy jointly developed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Skate began the anti-doping education for skateboarders last year, in preparation for the sport’s inaugural Olympic Games appearance at Tokyo 2020.

UKAD’s Head of Education and Athlete Support, Amanda Hudson, said: “We had a great day at the Copper Box Arena providing education to skateboard athletes, in partnership with World Skate.

“This forms part of UKAD’s strategic work to raise the standards of anti-doping globally to protect British athletes who compete on the world stage.

“With skateboarding set to make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, it’s vital that athletes have a good educational grounding on all things ‘clean sport’ and their anti-doping responsibilities, ahead of the Games.

“It’s great to see World Skate take such a proactive stance, committing to providing education workshops throughout this year, and we at UKAD are delighted to be a part of that.”

World Skate President, Sabatino Aracu, said: “We are encouraging our member federations to conduct educational programs at the national level. Our main goal is to have the skateboarders completely aware about doping and its risks and the National Federations will need to take an active role in this process.”

The key areas of World Skate’s anti-doping plan includes ensuring athletes receive face-to-face education at World Skate tour events, via a National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), or online.