ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing Fundamental Rule 5 governs anti-doping within the sport of sailing, alongside ISAF Regulation 21 Anti-Doping Code.

5. DRUGS
A competitor shall neither take a substance nor use a method banned by the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code of the World Anti- Doping Agency and shall comply with Appendix 3 (ISAF Regulation 19, ISAF Anti-Doping Code). An alleged or actual breach of this rule shall be dealt with under Regulation 19. It shall not be grounds for a protest and rule 63.1 does not apply.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter governs the Olympic Movement and it is mandatory that all International Federations involved in the Olympic Movement sign up to the WADA Anti-Doping Code. The WADA Anti-Doping Code was approved by the IOC and WADA in March 2003, and ISAF adopted it in May 2003. Prior to that date, ISAF had adopted the IOC Anti-Doping Code.

During the XXVII Olympiad it is the IOC Anti-Doping Rules which govern from the opening of the athletes' village on 30 July to the close of competition on 29 August.

All athletes at the Olympic Games are subject to Doping Controls, and during the period of the Olympic Games, all doping controls initiated by the IOC shall include testing for all Prohibited Substances and all Prohibited Methods referred to in the Prohibited List. All athletes shall be subject, during the Period of the Olympic Games, to Doping Controls initiated by the IOC at any time or place with no advance warning.

The IOC intends to authorise WADA to carry out Doping Controls, on behalf of the IOC, during the Period of the Olympic Games, outside of Greece and at non-Olympic venues inside of Greece and authorizes all Anti-Doping Organisations to carry out Doping Controls on the athletes within their authority during the Period of the Olympic Games, prior to the athlete having validated his accreditation for the Olympic Games and/or subsequent to the athlete having finished his final competition at the Olympic Games.

Sailors who have illnesses or conditions that require them to take particular medication, must be aware that those substances may be listed on the Prohibited List.

The 2004 Prohibited List identifies substances and methods that are banned either in-competition only or in-and out-of-competition. These substances include, but are not limited to, stimulants, anabolic agents, and masking agents. Sailors should always be aware that a substance may not be directly named on the List, but may still be banned because it falls into the category based on similarities in properties or structure.

By applying for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), sailors are eligible to take the needed medicine with proper authorization from ISAF or their National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO). The TUE will avoid a sailor being declared positive when the substance is detected in the samples. (A positive test could result in the sailor being banned from competitive sailing for a period of time. Please see ISAF Regulation 21.10.1 and 21.10.2). (TUEs now replace the former system of Declarations & Dispensations).

From January 2004, the process for a sailor to apply for a TUE is fairly simple. A sailor who is an international level sailor must apply to ISAF, and a sailor who is not an international level sailor, must apply to their National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO), for an application form for requesting a TUE. (Contact details for NADOs can be found on the WADA website, www.wada-ama.org)

This request will be reviewed by a TUE Committee and a decision made as to whether the TUE should be granted. The sailor will then receive an approval certificate from the organization to which it applied, (either ISAF or their NADO). TUEs are normally granted for a specific period of time and do expire. Sailors should remember that according to the ISAF Regulation 21.4.3(c)(i) and (ii), the application for a TUE should be submitted at least 21 days before participating in an event.

A TUE should be given if:
•The sailor would experience significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance or method,
•The therapeutic use of the substance would not produce significant enhancement of performance, and
•There is no reasonable therapeutic alternative to the use of the otherwise prohibited substance or method.

If a sailor is taking a beta-2 agonist by inhalation [ i.e. asthma inhalers: formoterol, salbutamol, salmeterol and terbutaline ], and glucocorticosteroids by non-systemic routes, there is a shorter form and process for granting a TUE. This request does not require a decision by the TUE Committee, since authorization is granted upon receipt of the sailor's application.
Full details on seeking a TUE are available on the ISAF Anti-Doping Microsite.

Links
Athens 2004 Anti-Doping Rules

WADA Anti-Doping Code

Prohibited Substances and Methods

Issue 89 of Making Waves, the weekly ISAF Newsletter, was issued yesterday, on Monday 25 March.

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