Sport Northern Ireland awareness programme to protect the spirit of sport
With the run up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October and looking ahead to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, awareness of drugs in sport has never been more relevant. As such, Sport Northern Ireland today launched its Anti-Doping initiative ‘Pure Winner’. The initiative has been established to educate and inform athletes and athlete support personnel about key issues concerning doping in sport in order for athletes to prepare and succeed in competition. This initiative is welcomed by and has the full support of the Sports Institute Northern Ireland.
Eamonn McCartan, Sport Northern Ireland Chief Executive spoke in support of the programme:
“As the lead agency for the development of sport in Northern Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland is committed to drug-free sport and the primary goal for the Pure Winner education programme is to protect the spirit of sport, while at the same time enforcing integrity, fairness, equity and respect: the values essential to success in sport.”
Northern Ireland is a unique part of the world in Anti-Doping terms, as it falls under the jurisdiction of two National Anti-Doping Organisations, namely UK Anti-Doping (formerly UK Sport) and the Irish Sports Council.
Sport Northern Ireland Board member Paddy Turnbull with athletes Conor Leaney (swimming), Ryan Seaton (sailing), Bryn Cunningham (rugby), Noleen Lennon (netball) and Phil Glasgow
(Head of Sports Medicine SINI)
Sport Northern Ireland is not a National Anti-Doping Organisation under the definitions set out in the World Anti-Doping Code, however as a funder of sport, it has responsibilities regarding the investment of funding to governing bodies and athletes. While already providing Anti-Doping education to athletes within the Sports Institute, Sport Northern Ireland see this as a vital service to widen this education process.
Sport Northern Ireland will commit to a range of support and education which will see the promotion, planning, implementation and monitoring of education programmes, through information sharing tools, workshops, and outreach activities. It will also assist governing bodies in the planning and implementation of sport specific education strategies and ensure that Northern Irish sports are world Anti-Doping code compliant by adopting current anti-doping rules and policies for their members. There will also be ongoing liaison with the two National Anti-Doping organisations with jurisdiction in Northern Ireland – UK Anti-Doping and the Irish Sports Council, and their respective education campaigns – 100%ME and Ez-Win, will be incorporated into the education service Sport Northern Ireland provide.
To support the Pure Winner programme, an Anti-Doping Education Officer has been appointed to drive the initiative to provide essential education to athletes in Northern Ireland. This will ensure that Pure Winner becomes Sport Northern Ireland’s location point to provide a signposting service to the appropriate Anti-Doping Rules and Resources of UK Anti-Doping and the Irish Sports Council. Ultimately it will create a constant ‘stop and think’ thought process for athletes/coaches/sports/support personnel. The underlying aim is to act as a regular reminder of the importance of being cautious with regards to Anti-Doping issues and to raise awareness in terms of checking medication, the prohibited list, monitoring intake, supplements, and generally keeping alert and knowledgeable.
So, if you are an athlete, a coach, a sports club, a governing body or other sports support personnel and would be interested in registering for forthcoming education sessions, please email your details to anti-doping@sportni.net.
Notes to editors:
For further information please contact:
Catherine McKeown, Marketing and Press Officer on 028 9038 3832 / 07792 600121 or via email catherinemckeown@sportni.net |
