Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation Chairman Dr. Adrian Lorde speaking during the launch of this past weekend’s Doping Control Officer training workshop.
There is new blood expected in the ranks of the region’s Doping Control Officers as 46 fresh faces joined the fight to protect athletes. The Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO) hosted a two-day training workshop this past weekend at Infinity on the Beach which saw the new recruits as well as 16 seasoned officers, who were trained to become Doping Control Instructors, all under the tutelage of US Anti-Doping Agency Instructors.
Speaking to the Barbados Advocate the newly-appointed Executive Director of the Caribbean RADO, Sasha Sutherland explained that with the region’s agency ranking, among the top two in the world, it was important that there was an increase in numbers and upgrade in training.
“This is important because our vision is to value and foster doping free sport in the Caribbean. Last year we had five anti-doping rule violations. We’ve not had anti-doping rule violations to that extreme and people might think that five is a little bit but it is too much for our region....,” she said.
She continued, “This year alone, we have had two anti-doping rule violations and provisional suspensions to be issued and we have seen an increase in athletes who do not know about the doping control process, who refuse to be tested or who have incorrect information. So this training helps as Doping Control Officers don’t only collect samples and they don’t only execute doping control, they also help to educate at the point where the athlete is in that station. This is detrimental to sport in the Caribbean because we are the world centre for athletics when you think about it. So we want to ensure that all of our athletes and those who are young – from primary schools all the way up to elite athletes – understand the process, understand their roles and responsibilities.”
Speaking to the current and prospective officers during the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Caribbean RADO, Dr. Adrian Lorde urged them to remain cognisant of the responsibility they were being charged with as it was important, but also offered the opportunity to take them all over the world as he explained that his career had taken him to all five continents over the years.
“We are the largest RADO with 17 members and you are the face of the RADO. You have an important role to perform, not only as doping Control Officers, but as advocates for anti-doping in the region. I want you to be involved not only in testing, but also in education and spreading the word of clean sport. You therefore in your various busy roles, need to work with your governments and National Olympic Committees, sporting organisations, clubs, schools, coaches, physical education teachers, doctors, sports administrators and athlete support personnel about anti-doping. There is a lot of information and misinformation about doping in sports, and there are a lot of resources that are available that you can use and that you need to use,” Lorde said.
Noting that since starting his own journey 26 years ago, there had been constant changes in the methods of cheating and detection and that violations also included attempting to take, possession and trafficking of banned substances, refusal of testing and failure to give whereabouts among others.
Dr. Lorde went on to state that of all the innovations, the greatest was the creation of the world body and with it, the RADOs. “The most important development since the 1990s is the development of WADA ,the World Anti-Doping Agency which came about in 2000 and that is an independent anti-doping authority which has led to the development of these RADOs throughout the world. They recognised that in some areas there was not enough capacity for testing,” he said. (MP)
Section: