The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have announced the launch of an fantastic educational interactive program for athletes, trainers and others involved in sports.
The website
www.truegame.org contains information on doping in sport, a discussion forum, and an interactive game.
Through
"The True Game", an interactive, multilingual game, players can enroll and test their knowledge of doping issues. The heroine of the game, a young athlete named Fair, has been sent to Earth to save the planet from doping. On each continent, with the aid of the player, Fair must answer questions on some aspect of the fight against doping, such as doping control procedures, ethics and the World Anti-Doping Code.
Visitors to the site can also consult medical, scientific and sociological information on doping in both French and English and share their opinions of these themes.
"This program demonstrates the importance we at WADA give to education and prevention of doping in sport," said Harri Syvasalmi, WADA's director general.
"Our aim, as always, is to promote sport free of doping and by using the internet and an interactive game; we can reach young athletes through a medium they are familiar with."
The launch of the game follows the release in September 2002 of the new list of banned substances and methods, which, comes into effect on 1 January 2003. Following the ISAF November Conference in Cyprus last month, the ISAF Regulation 21, which deals with doping issues within sailing, is currently being rewritten to take into account the new list. The list of prohibited medications effective 1 January 2003 is available via the ISAF website at the address below.
The major changes to the doping code are highlighted in an IOC document, reproduced in it's entirety below and also available on the IOC website:
Explanatory note concerning the IOC/WADA
List of prohibited classes of substances and prohibited methods - 2003,
I - Prohibited Classes of Substances
A - Stimulants
The stimulants class has been split into two groups a) and b) in order to better identify the beta-2 agonists
Amineptine, bupropion, synephrine and phenylephrine have been removed
from the list.
C - Anabolic agents
In the anabolic class, paragraph 2 has been rephrased as "other anabolic agents".
The anabolic nature of salbutamol above a concentration of 1000 ng/ml has been clearly expressed.
E - Peptide hormones, mimetics and analogues
In the "Insulin" section, the note has been changed.
F - Agents with an antioestrogenic activity
A class F, of substances bearing the name of "agents with an antioestrogenic activity" has been created.
G - Masking agents
A separate class bearing the name of "masking agents" has been created.
II - Prohibited methods
In the "prohibited methods" section, different classes have been created relating to:
- The definition of blood doping
- The identification of oxygen carriers
The pharmacological, chemical and physical manipulation section has been expanded.
A class C, Gene Doping, has been created.
III - Classes of prohibited substances in certain sports
In the paragraph
"Classes of prohibited substances in certain sports", the expression
"responsible authority " has been changed to
"governing body".
IV - Summary of urinary concentrations above which a doping violation has occurred.
In this paragraph, only the concentration >1000 ng/ml for salbutamol remains considered as anabolic. Thus, below 1000 ng/ml a therapeutic justification and/or a examination by a medical panel is necessary; while above 1000 ng/ml is considered as having an anabolic effect.
V - Substances and methods prohibited out-of-competition
Chapter V has been changed taking into account the modifications above.
In the list of examples, some modifications have been made.
1. Stimulants
Amineptine, bupropion and phenylephrine have been removed.
Clobenzorex, fenproporex, methylenedioxymethamphetamine and phenmetrazine have
been added.
2. Anabolic agents
Bolasterone and norbolethone have been added.
3. Diuretics
Amiloride has been added.
4. Masking agents
Bromantan has been removed and hydroxy ethyl starch added.
5. Substances with an antioestrogenic activity
This class has been added; clomiphene, cyclofenil and tamoxifen included therein.
6. Beta Blockers
Carvedilol has been added
The Doping Control section on the ISAF website
www.sailing.org looks at the doping control methods of testing, specific applications to sailing, substance declaration details and forms, as well as general medical advice and articles related to our sport.