April 19th marks ‘PLAY TRUE’ day promoting clean sport globally.
In recognition of this, Virtus Sport proudly announces the launch of its first-ever ‘Anti-Doping Awareness Program’, emphasising our dedication to fair competition.
This program is designed to educate athletes, coaches, parents and Virtus partners about anti-doping principles. Virtus believes that everyone deserves access to this essential knowledge, ensuring their full inclusion in the clean sport movement.
Our initiative aims to equip participants with simple yet effective tools to understand anti-doping concepts. Through engaging content and monthly seminars, we will cover topics such as the basics of doping, prohibited substances, doping test procedures, Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE), rights and duties of athletes, coaches, parents, and Virtus Sport members and consequences of doping.
Join us in championing integrity and fairness in sports on #PlayTrueDay and beyond. Together, let’s inspire a culture of honesty and accountability.
What is Doping?
Doping is the illegal use of banned substances or methods to improve athletic performance and represents a significant challenge to the integrity and fairness of sports. It undermines/compromises the principles of fair play, equality, and respect for one’s competitors.
Doping not only provides an unfair advantage to those who engage in it but also damages the health and well-being of athletes. The use of prohibited substances such as anabolic steroids, stimulants, and growth hormones can lead to severe health consequences, including organ damage and even death.
Moreover, doping tarnishes the reputation of sports organisations and erodes public trust in the authenticity of athletic achievements. Therefore, combating doping through rigorous testing, education, and enforcement measures is essential to safeguarding the values of honesty, integrity, and fair competition in sports.
Doping can also lead to violation of one of the following WADA’s 11 Rules-
- Presence of a prohibited substance
- Use of a prohibited substance
- Evading/avoiding, refusing to submit a doping test
- Tampering/interfering or attempted tampering with the test
- Possession/owning of a prohibited substance
- Trafficking or trying to sell/buy a prohibited substance
- Administration or Attempted Administration of a Prohibited Substance to an Athlete
- Complicity or being involved in any illegal activity related to doping
- Failing to file whereabouts information
- Prohibited association
- Acts by an athlete or other person to discourage someone from reporting to authorities about doping
