UK Sport Issues Guidance on Supplement Usage

 

Source: UK Sport

Posted: 21 July 2008

 

UK Sport has this week issued a new position statement to athletes on the use of supplements. Whilst the risk that some supplements can contain prohibited substance remains, UK Sport continues to stress the principle of ‘strict liability’ to athletes who choose to use such products. However, a new initiative from HFL Sports Science Ltd is recognised as a ‘positive step’ in helping athletes assess the risk when making that decision.

 

Andy Parkinson, Acting Director of Drug-Free Sport at UK Sport, said:

 

“The issues around supplements are well known and we continue to see cases where-by an adverse finding on an athlete may be linked back to a supplement which contains prohibited substances that didn’t appear on the label. Despite the risks we know that many athletes continue to use supplements.

 

“With that in mind, our role is very much to help them make sensible, informed decisions to minimise the risk they face of inadvertent doping as, under the rules of ‘strict liability’ in sport, they are responsible for any substances found in their system. Ignorance about the threat of contamination isn’t an excuse.”

 

One such initiative for helping athletes manage has been developed by HFL. Its Informed-Sport programme is designed to evaluate supplement manufacturers for their process integrity and to screen supplements and ingredients for the presence of substances that appear on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.

 

“We believe that Informed Sport is a positive step forward and we welcome the approach being taken by HFL and the supplements industry to support athletes in assessing the risk,” said Parkinson.

 

“Part of the process athletes need to go through when thinking about using supplements is to distinguish between companies that follow quality assurance procedures to the highest standards and those companies that do not. This is particularly important with so many products readily available via the internet which may lay claim to being ‘drug-free’ when there are no guarantees that this is the case.

 

“Ultimately, however, the bottom line for athletes is that there is no 100% guarantee about any supplements they take and they need to bear that in mind when making their choices.”

 

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