Clean Sport

British Rowing believes in clean sport and works in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and our International Federation, World Rowing, to ensure the integrity of British Rowing is protected.

All rowers, regardless of age and level of competition, have the right to compete in sport knowing that they, and their competitors, are clean.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs and other doping behaviour severely damages the legitimacy of sport and undermines the integrity of clean athletes.

All athletes, including those who are trialling, must ensure they have read the information on British Rowing's Clean Sport webpage to familiarise themselves with the rules, their role in clean sport and responsibilities. Key reminders specific to athletes participating in trials or a performance programme are below.

Parents and Carers can find more information and a virtual booklet about Clean Sport on UKAD's website.

Education

All athletes who are trialling or on a performance programme must complete Clean Sport education (iRowClean) every season. Dates for upcoming sessions will be made available in due course. Attendance at a Clean Sport session is compulsory and a condition of selection to represent GB.

Coaches and support staff working with athletes must also undergo regular Clean Sport education. Coaches must ensure they have completed UKAD's Coach Clean certificate and that it is in date. Support personnel must ensure they have completed UKAD's Introduction to Clean Sport certificate and that it is in date. Coaches and support personnel must also complete the iRowClean workshop annually. More details are available here.

Prohibited List 2022 and Code 2021

The Prohibited List identifies substances and methods which are not permitted in sport. It sets out whether substances or methods are prohibited at all times or in-competition only.

The Prohibited List 2022 came into effect on 1 January 2022. The Code 2021 published 1 January 2021 remains unchanged.

All athletes, coaches and support personnel are responsible for checking the list. More information is available on British Rowing's Clean Sport webpage, where you will also find links to details on the UKAD and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) websites.

To find the current 2022 Prohibited List please click the button below.

The Prohibited List 2023 has also been published and will come into effect on 1 January 2023. More information can be found on the UKAD website here.

In-Competition Periods and Trials

WADA define in-competition as “the period commencing 11.59pm on the day before a competition… through to the end of such competition and the sample-collection process related to such competition”.

During the Selection Process, the trials between October and March are not considered competitions and are therefore classed as out-of-competition periods.

GBRT Trials (Senior, Para, U23 and U19) in April are Competitions for the purpose of the anti-doping rules and therefore are classed as in-competition.

It is the responsibility of all athletes to make sure to account for the in-competition status of any medications they are taking and apply for a TUE where applicable as this must be in place before the April Trials.

Medicines

All athletes must check all medication before they take it on www.globaldro.com. This includes medication that is prescribed, or medication bought in store/over the counter. Global Drug Reference Online is a tool to determine if the medication you are considering is prohibited. If you are taking a medication to treat a legitimate medical condition, please also refer to the information on Therapeutic Use Exemptions below.

Supplements

British Rowing advises against the arbitrary use of supplements, as there is no method to guarantee any supplement is free from banned or harmful substances. Athletes are recommended in consultation with an expert to determine the need for any supplement, and then to ensure any product has been screened using Informed Sport. Informed Sport is a means to reduce the risk of consuming a prohibited substance but is not a guarantee.

Junior athletes and supplements

British Rowing's Supplements Policy states that no Junior rower should be using any supplements without medical prescription; rowers under 18 years of age are advised to concentrate on learning and implementing good training, good diet and well-rehearsed recovery strategies.

British Rowing’s Supplement Policy is available by clicking the link below.

Testing

It is likely there will be anti-doping testing at GBRT assessments and trials. Any athlete can be tested at any time.

Athletes must familiarise themselves with the testing procedure here:

https://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/introduction-testing

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UKAD have made modifications to the testing procedure to ensure athlete and doping control personnel are kept safe, and to reduce the spread of the virus.

Where possible at assessments and trials, GBRT will endeavour to provide appropriate athlete support personnel to represent an athlete outside the national squad at a doping control test.

Additional information: Para athletes

To support athletes with an impairment, UKAD have made modifications to the testing procedure. Information about these modifications can be found here: https://www.ukad.org.uk/violations/testing-process-athletes-impairment

Additional information: Junior athletes

To protect the welfare of juniors, UKAD have made modifications to the testing procedure. Information about these modifications can be found here: https://www.ukad.org.uk/violations/testing-process-minors

Therapeutic Use Exemptions

All rowers seeking selection or within the GB Squads are responsible for ensuring they have a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in place if required.

If a rower requires medication that is prohibited, and there are no suitable alternative permitted medications, an application may be made for a TUE.

Do I need a TUE?

The following athletes are part of UKAD's National TUE Pool and are required to apply for a TUE in advance:

1. Rowers submitting their daily whereabouts to UKAD (that is, rowers in the National Registered Testing Pool and Domestic Testing Pool)

2. GB Senior, Para and U23 Squads

3. Rowers invited to compete at i. GB Rowing Team Olympic or Paralympic Trials; or ii. GB Rowing Team Senior, Para, U23 or FISU April Trials (NB. annual trials are by invitation only; GBRT trials between October and March are not included)

If you are included in the UKAD National TUE Pool or you are considered to be an International-Level Athlete by World Rowing this means that if you ever need to use a prohibited substance or method for therapeutic reasons, then you are required to apply for a TUE in advance of using the substance or method in question (unless there is an exceptional circumstance – please see UKAD website for these).

At the point that you are prescribed with any medication (or purchase any medication over-the-counter), you should check the anti-doping status of that medication on Global DRO.

If the medication or method of treatment is prohibited, then use the UKAD TUE Wizard to find out how and when to apply for a TUE.

Please contact Jacqui.Traynor@britishrowing.org or UKAD at tue@ukad.org.uk should you have any questions relating to medications or TUEs.

We are also obliged to inform you that you would be at risk of incurring an anti-doping rule violation should you be subject to Doping Control without having first obtained a TUE (unless there is an exceptional circumstance for not doing so).

Rowers outside of the National TUE Pool who are seeking selection will only be able to apply for a TUE retroactively (after a positive test finding). Therefore, it is important that rowers who have a genuine need for medication that is prohibited ensure they collect all the evidence they need in order to satisfy the conditions of a TUE application. There is no guarantee it would be accepted so we recommend you contact cleansport@britishrowing.org for further guidance.

The following information is for you to be aware if you are, or become, an athlete in a GBRT Squad (Olympic and Paralympic Pathways).

The Registered Testing Pool

Any squad rower (Olympic and Paralympic Pathways) may be nominated for inclusion in a National or Domestic Registered Testing Pool.

All rowers named in a Registered Testing Pool are required to provide daily Whereabouts Information using an online system known as ADAMS. This is a directive of the WADA Code and is non-negotiable. Separate information on this is issued to all rowers concerned and support provided to them through GBRT and UKAD to ensure compliance.

Athlete Biological Passport Scheme

Rowers within a Registered Testing Pool may also be nominated for inclusion within the Athlete Biological Passport Scheme. The concept of this is the monitoring of selected biomarkers through a longitudinal series of blood and urine tests collected from an athlete (6 samples in a 12 month period provides the required baseline data) which enables individual limits for each biomarker to be established. Biological tracing throughout an athlete's sporting career should make doping far harder to achieve undetected. Again, separate information on this is issued to all rowers concerned.

Further Support & Information

For further support or information please contact Jacqui Traynor, British Rowing's Head of Safeguarding & Integrity.

Please also use the links below for more information.