Support Clean Sport: the right to a fair contest

The Dutch anti-doping authority Dopingautoriteit recently held its annual congress Support Schone Sport (Support Clean Sport). This time the Combat Sports Authority was represented as well. Since this year, the VA and the Dopingautoriteit have an agreement on doping control in combat sports.

Support Schone Sport 2021 took place at the NBC in Nieuwegein and could be followed via a livestream. During this meeting, the new chairman Vincent Egbers updated staff from sports federations, TeamNL centres and other stakeholders in (elite) sport on developments in the anti-doping field. He also addressed WADA's decision to place the Dopingautoriteit on a so-called watchlist. Finally, he explained the expected number of doping controls this year and discussed the goals for next year.

The underlying principle of anti-doping work is that every athlete has the right to a fair contest in a healthy sporting environment. Cheating by using prohibited substances clearly has no place in that. In this context, Jitske Talsma (NOC*NSF) and Marsha van Ruijven (Victoria Sports) spoke about the Vision on Sport & Integrity 2024 and the projects associated with it.

Lisanne Balk explained two studies carried out by the Mulier Institute, with which she is affiliated. The first study focused on doping use among Dutch elite athletes. The second was a qualitative study of views on clean sport among coaches, medical staff and people close to Dutch elite athletes.

Anton van Wijk (Bureau Beke) and Marjan Olfers (VU Amsterdam) gave a presentation on their study Sterk Spul: the nature, scale and seriousness of the doping trade in the Netherlands. The study made clear that it is difficult to determine the nature and scale of the doping trade, that the group of users is growing and that elite athletes increasingly push the boundaries.

VA director Farid Gamei had been asked to set out how education and testing are organised in combat sports. He explained through which agreements all parties in the sector are bound to anti-doping work. He also said that the VA actively encourages athletes, trainers and others involved to complete the e-learning modules of the Dopingautoriteit. In a short space of time, some 250 people from combat sports have obtained a certificate.

The VA and the Dopingautoriteit also organise in-person information sessions at various locations across the country. Everyone active in competitive sport is encouraged to sign up.