With less than one month until the 2010 Olympic Winter Games kick-off in Vancouver, British Columbia, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is continuing to ensure all members of Team USA are aware of their requirements and responsibilities under the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Anti-Doping Rules. USADA’s efforts involve an aggressive educational campaign to provide timely material and necessary resources into the hands of U.S. athletes and their support personnel.
The centerpiece of the initiative is USADA’s newest resource, usada.org/vancouver, which serves as the premiere educational hub for those seeking anti-doping information as it pertains to the responsibilities of U.S. athletes during the 2010 Vancouver Games. The educational site, which is available through a prominent banner link on USADA’s homepage, usada.org, provides information about the IOC’s Anti-Doping Rules; a link to Global DRO; and information on the 2010 Prohibited List among other resources.
Additionally, USADA is undergoing a major initiative to provide either face-to-face presentations or interactive webinars to the more than 500-member Olympic delegation in an effort to get critical anti-doping information out to athletes in a personal manner.
All members of USADA’s Registered Testing Pool, including both winter and summer sport athletes also complete the Athlete’s Advantage Tutorial. In addition to explaining the daily responsibilities of athletes, the Athlete’s Advantage Tutorial includes important anti-doping information and directions beneficial to elite, Olympic level athletes.
Additional USADA educational efforts include:
- Communicating a one-page summary to all athletes, documenting the most important attributes of the IOC’s Anti-Doping Rules.
- General communications alerting athletes to available resources.
- Timely communications alerting athletes if anti-doping related issues arise.
- USADA has also provided athletes a 24/7 emergency phone line and dedicated e-mail address that the U.S. delegation can contact if any issues, questions, or concerns arise during the Period of the Olympic Games. The service will provide members of Team USA a necessary link to useful resources.
USADA is the non-profit, independent and non-governmental entity responsible for the testing and results management process in the U.S. for athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, upholding the Olympic ideal of fair play, and representing the interests of athletes. USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. The agency manages a drug reference phone hotline as well as the Global Drug Reference Online at www.GlobalDRO.org, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as curriculums, themed brochures and nutrition and dietary guides, easy-reference wallet cards for the prohibited substance list, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference publications, all of which can be found at www.USADA.org.
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