Anti-doping

Drugs

There 3 ways you might take drugs/substances banned in orienteering.

1. Deliberately to improve performance

2. Accidentally, by taking medicines or diet supplements which contain banned substances.

3. In medication

1. Deliberately trying to improve performance by taking banned substances.

- Its illegal

- The consequences for the individual, the team, and the sport are horrendous – there’s never been a doping incident in orienteering, if a member of the squad was found to using banned substances it would bring Orienteering and Ireland into disrepute, and we would probably lose our funding, and the person would be off the squad.

- Its cheating

2. Accidentally

- Medicines - Some easily available medicines contain banned drugs (for example cough medicines). Use the Eirpharm website www.eirpharm.ie to check the status of any medicine available in Ireland. Elsewhere check the ingredients against the WADA list.

- Supplements – Some diet supplements contain banned drugs, and don’t have a full list of ingredients so its impossible to check. If you eat a good balanced diet you don’t need supplements.

3. Medication

The most usual example is asthma medication. Check the Eirpharm website. For many medications you will need either a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) or a Declaration of Use. It is very important to get advice ( from the Junior Squad Manager or the IOA Anti-Doping Officer) if you are on any long-term medication.

This is a very serious area, if in any doubt get advice.

Juniors competing at JWOC, and in some cases at EYOC, are liable to be tested during the competition, but not liable for out-of-competition tests.