UK Anti-Doping receives £6 million funding boost

2018

UK Anti-Doping is to receive an additional £6 million of funding over two years from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to further strengthen its armoury in the fight against doping, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch announced.

The move comes after the first full-scale review of the organisation since it was set up in 2009.

UK Anti-Doping Chair Trevor Pearce said: “We are delighted at the news from DCMS today, to significantly increase the funding available to UKAD for the next two years.

“This clear commitment to clean sport from government will allow us to increase the effectiveness of our current investigation, testing and education programmes, and also importantly to expand our investment into new approaches in the fight against doping.

“We look forward to working with DCMS on the implementation of recommendations for UKAD and we share their ambition for the UK to lead the world in Anti-Doping.”  

The tailored review of UKAD has also resulted in a number of recommendations to help make further progress in the fight for clean sport.

These include:

  • UKAD to consider submitting a framework to government and sports to allow doping control officers to have unfettered access to conduct random testing at competitions
  • UKAD to encourage greater collaboration from law enforcement agencies and to ensure whistleblowers have confidence to come forward
  • Sports in receipt of public funding to report annually on their anti-doping education programmes to UKAD and publish this information on their websites
  • Health harms associated with the abuses of Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) should be integrated into drug information and education supported by Public Health England, Public Health Wales, Health Scotland, Public Health (Northern Ireland) and the Home Office Drugs Strategy
  • Government should revise the National Anti-Doping Policy by September 2018 in consultation with UKAD and the Home Country Sport Councils
  • UKAD to ensure that all publicly funded athletes and support personnel participate in annual anti-doping education programmes
  • UKAD to establish an Innovations Committee later this year to signpost new trends in doping
  • A new international strategy to be drawn up by UKAD to help drive a global approach to innovation in anti-doping

The move means that over the next two years UKAD’s budget will be increased by around 50 per cent to help it implement the recommendations in the tailored review.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said: “We must do all we can to make sure sport is free from doping and that players and fans are confident that there is a level playing field.

“This £6 million additional funding for UKAD will help us take the fight even harder to those trying to cheat through doping. It will also help educate people at all levels of sport about the dangers of image and performance enhancing drugs and maintain UKAD’s standing as one of the leading anti-doping agencies in the world.”

UKAD will now work with the DCMS on the specifics of what the additional £6.1 million will be spent on.