All athletes have the right to compete in sport knowing that they, and their competitors, are clean. We believe in clean sport and work in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and International Rafting Federation (IRF) to ensure that the integrity of our sport is protected.
Anti-Doping Rules
Paddle UK has in place a set of anti-doping rules that all athletes and athlete support personnel must abide by . The anti-doping rules for Paddle UK are consistent with the World Anti-Doping Code, the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport globally.
The anti-doping rules of Paddle UK are the UK Anti-Doping Rules published by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). Such rules take effect and can be construed as the rules of Paddle UK. If you are a member of Paddle UK then the anti-doping rules apply to you, regardless of what level you participate at. You can find the UK Anti-Doping Rules linked here.
World Anti-Doping Code
Since 1 January 2021, a new version of the World Anti-Doping Code has been in effect and it's important that all athletes and athlete support personnel are aware of how this impacts them. For more information on the changes within the 2021 Code, you can visit UKAD's website section here.
Under the 2021 Code, an athlete may be classified as being “International-Level”, “National-Level” or a “Recreational Athlete” based on their competition level. Further information on these different categories is available on the UKAD website section linked here.
Some Key Anti-Doping Considerations
Below are some of the most asked about areas of Anti-Doping. Simply click or tap to expand each section.
Breaking the anti-doping rules can result in a ban from all sport. The Code outlines the
Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs). Athletes and athlete support personnel need to make sure they are fully aware of these violations, and the consequences of breaking them.
For more information and what this means for those individuals, follow this link to the UKAD website. For information on individuals serving a ban from sport, visit UKAD's sanction page on their website.
Before taking any medication (whether from a doctor or purchased over the counter), athletes must check to make sure it doesn't contain any banned substances.
Medications (ingredients or brand name) can be checked online at Global Dro website linked here.
It is important to note that medications bought in one country may contain different ingredients to the same branded medication in another country. For more information on checking medications, visit UKAD's website linked here.
UKAD always advises a food first approach to nutrition, as there are no guarantees that any supplement product is free from banned substances.
Athletes can support their training and progress towards their targets by eating and enjoying nutritious food. With a bit of planning, it is possible to eat a delicious and healthy diet made up of a variety of food types at the right time, and in the right quantities.
Athletes should assess the need, the risks and the consequences before deciding to take a supplement, and if they need to use one. Visit the Informed Sport website linked here to check whether supplements have been batch-tested.
More advice on managing supplement risks can be found on UKAD's Supplement Hub linked here.
What happens in a test
Athletes should feel prepared and know their rights and responsibilities when they are notified to be tested by a Chaperone or Doping Control Officer. Athletes can find out more in the at UKAD’s Introduction to Testing page linked here.View the UKAD video below to learn more about the testing process.
Athlete Retirement
Should an athlete wish to retire from international and/or national competition then they can formally retire and seek removal from ICF testing pools. If you wish to retire or discuss the options please contact the Anti-Doping team who can share the ICF and UKAD forms with you.
Education, Protecting Sport, and Resources
Below you will find a range of information about Anti-Doping education, steps too report any infringements of Anti-Doping rules and further resources of interest to clubs, parents/guardians and young athletes. Simply click or tap on the relevant tab. The default is education.
100%Me
A good resource for education is the 100%Me programme from UKAD. It is a values-based education and information programme, helping athletes meet their anti-doping responsibilities throughout their sporting journey. We want all athletes to be clean, stay clean and believe all others are clean. For more information on what this means, visit UKAD's website linked here.
Paddle Clean
Paddle UK's Paddle Clean programme aims to:
- Create a generation of canoeists, who have confidence in their own ability to succeed in canoeing cleanly and who see anti-doping best practices as an integral part of being a canoeist.
- Create a generation of support personnel who understand that the canoeists they are involved with can succeed in canoeing cleanly and who see anti-doping best practices as an integral part of being involved with canoeing.
The basic principle of Paddle UK's Paddle Clean education strategy is to support, promote and educate the canoeing community to take a positive approach to anti-doping, and integrate anti-doping best practices into the overall development of a paddler.
Paddle UK will encourage its community to protect the spirit of paddling and sport as a whole from being undermined by doping and to establish an environment which promotes doping-free behaviour among all members.
The use of performance-enhancing drugs and other doping behaviour severely damages the legitimacy of sport and undermines the integrity of clean athletes. You can learn more about Paddle Clean by downloading the document below.
UKAD's Protect Your Sport
Protecting clean sport depends on everyone playing their part - athletes, coaches, or parents - whether on centre stage or behind the scenes. Speak out if you feel there's something wrong - no matter how small. UKAD guarantee that your identity will always be kept 100% confidential. Find out more about Protect Your Sport on the UKAD website linked here.
There are four ways to contact if you want to speak out abvout anti-doping infringements:
- Email - When you feel something's wrong, send UKAD an email. UKAD guarantee that your name and email address will be kept confidential. Email
- WhatsApp - Message on WhatsApp at +44 (0) 7587 634711 - no matter how small. UKAD guarantee that your name and number will be kept confidential.
- Online Form - Let UKAD know through the form on its website linked here. Choose the two-way communication option at the end of the form. You will still be anonymous, but UKAD will have the chance to follow up later on.
- Hotline - call on 08000 32 23 32. UKAD is there to listen and won't ask who you are. You may want to keep your identity a secret but telling UKAD who you are makes a real difference later on, so consider emailing or speaking via WhatsApp first.
Clean Sport is relevant to all paddlers, regardless of what level they are paddling at. Find below resources for useful for young athletes, parents, or clubs.
Parents and Guardians
When it comes to anti-doping, you have a vital role in helping your child be clean and stay clean. UKAD have a useful guide to help you with this. Download the Parents and Carers Guide below
Young Athletes
As part of their 100%Me education programme UKAD have created a useful resource called Clean Sport Essentials for Talented Young Athletes. You can download it below.
Anti-Doping Training
There is a range of training available from UKAD on Anti-doping. All courses mentioned below are available from the Clean Sport Hub linked here.
- We encourage all athletes to do the free UKAD Compete Clean + online course. This is also mandatory for all national team athletes.
- Coaches are encouraged to complete the free UKAD Coach Clean course.
- Parents and team staff are encouraged to complete the UKAD Introduction to Clean Sport online course.
Club Resources
We have developed some resources for clubs to help with understanding and promoting anti-doping. These reference the basic essentials and signpost paddlers to where they can find more information.
