The paragraph should be about
of 9 sentences with quotes incorporated. The paragraph should have a total of 4 quotes (one for audience, one for purpose, and two for main idea).
Drugs In Sport
How the AFL deals with the issue – how
is this comparable to other sporting
bodies, are the processes working?’
By Brian Walsh,
Corporate Affairs Manager, Australian Football League (AFL)
In talking about the issue of drugs in sport and the AFL’s approach to drugs the first thing to understand is there are twopolicies:1.In competition testing- The AFL Anti-Doping code has been testing players for performance enhancing drugs such as steroid use since 1990. In more than 6000 tests only one player has been suspended for performance enhancing drugbuster AFL Anti-Doping Code is administered by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and is compliant with the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA)code. That means AFL players are able to be tested 365 days a year for performance enhancing drugs and are tested on a matchday for illicit drugs. This is the same policy that covers every elite athlete in Australia – AFL footballer, NRL player, Olympic swimmers and athletes, basketballers, weight-lifters and all professional sports people can be tested for illicit drugs when they are in ‘in competition’.2.Out-of-competition testing- The AFL’s Illicit Drug policy which tests ‘out-of-competition’ for illicit drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana, meth-amphetamine and other illicit drugs
Simply, only in the AFL and two other Australian sports –
NRL and cricket – do players get tested out of competition for
illicit drugs.
No other sports in Australia runs an out-of-competition illicit
drug policy or testing regime and while the federal government
has recently offered funding to help sports fill this gap, presently
no sport has taken up the testing regime.
Of the 90 sports in Australia, all athletes in all sports will be
sanctioned if they test positive to illicit drugs in competition
BUT only three sports (AFL, NRL, and Cricket Australia) run a
separate testing regime for illicit drugs out of competition which
is above and beyond the testing required by WADA.
Only the AFL has publicly released the results of its testing
regime as it does every year.
In the same way that the AFL was the first sport to develop a
Racial and Religious Vilification policy when it became clear
that indigenous players were being racially abused on the
field, the AFL also decided to take action after testing by the
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) through
2003-04 showed a small percentage of players were using illicit
drugs out of competition.
The drugs used were not performance enhancing drugs under
WADA guidelines and the incidence was small compared to
Australian Drug Foundation figures. These figures showed that 38
per cent of all Australians over the age of 14 have used an illicit
drug and one in seven had used illicit drugs in the past 12 months.
The AFL was concerned about this drug use, however small,
because illicit drug use is dangerous to both the physical, mental
and emotional health of players. It was, therefore, an issue that
the AFL wanted to confront.
The next step was to approach the experts. The AFL is not, and
never has been, experts in drug and alcohol prevention and have
always relied on those experts in the field, such as the Australian
Drug Foundation, to guide and refine the policy.
The view of the experts was that the most effective model in
combating illicit drug use was a medical model that emphasized
confidential counselling rather than adopt a ‘NAME AND
SHAME’ approach.
Naming and shaming might create a perception of being tough
but all it did was move the problem on, not address it. It punished
behavior, but did not support people to change their behavior.
Importantly, this response is also the response adopted by
agencies such as the Victoria Police and is recommended by
the National Drug Diversion Initiative that diverts people into
a treatment and counselling regime rather than the criminal
law system.
It is also important to remember that the AFL Illicit Drug
Policy has been created in partnership with the AFL Players
Association representing more than 700 players across the
competition. This has been the single biggest element in the
success of the policy.
The aims of the policy are clear:
to educate players about the serious danger of using illicit
drugs
to identify any player who has made the poor choice to
use drugs, and to direct them immediately into appropriate
counselling and treatment programs
to provide the necessary intervention and support to
change behavior of those identified.
Any player who does not respond to counselling and treatment
programs – and who has failed a test for a third time – is
subject to a financial sanction of $5000 and a suspension of up
to 18 matches
In 2005, the AFL began testing AFL players out of competition
for illicit drugs. Our Illicit Drug policy is centrally and
independently administered by the AFL Medical Commissioners
with the tests undertaken by Symbion Pathology Ltd. In 2008
1220 tests were conducted. That will increase to around 1500
in 2009.
The AFL’s Medical Commissioners work independently and no
AFL player or club official or AFL official has any involvement
in who is tested and when and the results are confidential.
The first step is to provide players education about the serious
physical and mental health dangers posed by illicit drugs. Police
and government agencies such as ASADA have been involved
in this education program
The Medical Commissioners can target test individuals
suspected of using illicit drugs and clubs can ask for target
testing of certain players.
If a player records a failed test, they are immediately referred
to the appropriate confidential counselling and treatment.
A suspended $5000 fine is also imposed after a first failed
test. Their AFL club doctor is notified of all failed tests so
that they can be involved in the treatment program. A player
may inform their club officials if they choose to do so, but
this is not compulsory. After treatment that player is then
target tested.
If a player has a second failed test, they are referred to a
secondary elevated course of confidential counselling and
treatment. A suspended six-week sanction is also imposed.
Again, they are target tested.
If a player records a third failed test, they face a maximum
of 18 weeks suspension (including the six-week suspended
sanction) and the activation of the $5000 fine.
Our policy is built around the core themes of prevention and
education about the dangers of illicit drugs and about providing
an intervention when someone ignores the message.
There will always be someone who will ignore the message
and that is why sanctions apply if someone does not take the
advantage of the counselling and treatment and change their
behavior.
The rate of failed tests has fallen from 4.03 per cent to just 0.98
per cent over the first four years of the testing regime, despite
the number of tests rising from 486 to 1220.
Regardless of the mountain of criticism around the Illicit Drug
policy, many in the media have acknowledged what the experts
have been saying for some time – our system is working. We are
intervening in the lives of players who are at risk and helping
them to change their behavior.
What Has The AFL Learned?
The results have provided the AFL with key knowledge that has
been used to improve and enhance its policy.
We learned that alcohol is a precursor in almost all incidents
of failed tests which is why we have also worked with the
clubs and players to develop a Responsible Alcohol policy.
We learned that the post-season or holiday period when
players are away from the club is a period of far greater
risk. Now AFL players have agreed to a trial of holiday hair
testing, where they can be tested on their return from leave
by a method that can detect illicit drug use going back up to
three months.
We learned that some players who have failed a second test
have benefited from the intervention that followed. They
finally understood the message and have taken steps to
change their behavior.
Much of the public debate has been skewed with little
representation of the views of the experts in the field. In fact
21 of Australia’s leading drug experts who supported the AFL’s
policy had to buy advertising space in newspapers because it
was the only way that their support for the AFL players could
find its way into the papers.
They supported the system because they know it works and
because – as with tens of thousands of Australian families
around the country – they know that it is easy to find a slogan
but much harder to find a solution.
The AFL and the AFL players remain committed to the Illicit
Drug policy because we recognize that:
the use of illicit drugs is a community-wide problem and
AFL players are subject to the same pressures as all young
Australians
the health and welfare of AFL players is of paramount
importance
all members of the community must do whatever is possible
to fight the problem of illicit drug use young people can be influenced by the behavior of high
profile sports people. AFL players have volunteered to be at
the forefront of the fight against the use of illicit drugs; their
message is strong and clear: ‘say ‘no’ to drugs’.
