The Commonwealth Secretariat has been instrumental in setting up regional organisations to manage anti-doping efforts in small countries where governments and sporting bodies have limited capacity for such work
In conjunction with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Commonwealth Secretariat has helped fund the creation of Regional Anti-Doping Organisations (RADOs) in East and Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania, where governments and national Olympic committees do not have the resources to create them alone.
RADOs bring together groups of small countries to help them and their National Olympic Committees carry out their individual commitments under the World Anti-Doping Code, a harmonised set of anti-doping regulations which came into force in 2004. By pooling human and financial resources RADO members can share their Code responsibilities, which include the coordination of sample collection, the management of results and appeals, the approval of therapeutic use exemptions, and the dissemination of educational materials.
The Commonwealth Secretariat provided start-up funding for the RADOs, at the recommendation of the Commonwealth Sports Ministers’ Meeting and the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport. The Commonwealth funding enabled the RADOs to develop and implement strong anti-doping educational programmes, as well as the required testing. The Commonwealth Secretariat has also been active in urging member governments to sign the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport, the first global treaty against the use of banned drugs in sport. To date, 36 Commonwealth countries have adopted the Convention.
The RADO administrators in each of the four regions promote the long-term self-sustainability of anti-doping programmes and they travel within their area assisting the development of the member countries’ programmes.
The regional administrator at the Caribbean RADO is Neil Murrell, whose task is to ensure that the protocols set out in the UNESCO International Convention and the Anti-Doping Code are established throughout the Caribbean.
He acts as an information resource providing education and training materials, and conducting workshops and seminars in the region. He says that one of his greatest achievements to date has been the training of Doping Control Officers across the Caribbean to work on regional and international missions.
He is also frequently approached by athletes, coaches and parents, who are keen to know more about anti-doping and to enquire whether various dietary supplements may contain banned substances.
“My work is well-respected by most sporting organisations in the Caribbean, and we have been asked to undertake training and testing for high profile organisations such as the International Cricket Council and International Boxing Association,”
Murrell says. “I believe that with the advancement and development of the Caribbean in the global sporting context, it is highly likely that the anti-doping protocols will continue to flourish.”
The progress made in the four regions and in the individual member countries has been significant. Murrell and the other RADO administrators have worked in schools, with athletes and high-ranking officials to promote and spread anti-doping education messages. They have established outreach programmes at major events and provided a platform for young athletes to demonstrate their commitment to the ideals of fair play and learn more about drug-free sport.
“Resources have been provided to all countries which should serve them well for the ongoing sustainability of the programme and doping-free sport in each of the regions,” says Rob Koehler, director of the WADA’s Education and Development Programme. “This programme would not have been possible without the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The commitment and time invested will be a continued legacy for years to follow.”
