Commonwealth Games chiefs warned drugs cheats to stay well away from the Gold Coast 2018 event, as they “will be caught”, while stressing young athletes needed rigorous education about doping.
International sport has been rocked by allegations of widespread corruption and evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia, with questions being asked about the integrity of major competitions.
The Commonwealth Games Federation, which controls the second-biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics, said a clear-cut programme of educating athletes about their responsibilities — particularly impressionable youngsters — was vital in keeping competitions clean.
And the CGF said coaches and parents also needed to be aware of banned substances, as it warned potential cheats to steer clear of the next Commonwealth Games, in Australia’s Gold Coast.
“You’ll be caught. Don’t do it and don’t come,” said CGF president Louise Martin.
“We want clean Games, athletes competing on a level playing field and knowing that whatever they do, they’ve done their best and they’ve been beaten by better people,” she told AFP at the Commonwealth summit in Malta.
“Within the CGF, We’re working with all our 71 associations to ensure that their athletes are educated. They will have an educational session on anti-doping.
“What we’re trying to get through to the athletes is that they never, ever take anything that they don’t know. Because once it goes into their mouth, they’re responsible.
“If coaches say, ‘you should try this’, if they’re not happy, they shouldn’t take it.
“It is very difficult for young athletes who have never been in a situation like that before.
“We can only educate, educate, educate,” the former Scotland swimmer said.
– Sports ‘culture’ needs examining –
The Russia allegations have seen its athletes barred from competing.
Meanwhile Commonwealth country Kenya announced Saturday it had banned seven athletes, including two women sprinters sent home from the World Championships in Beijing, for doping offences.
CGF chief executive David Grevemberg said trust needed to be regained in sport.
“Integrity is everything. As soon as you lose your integrity, you’ve pretty much lost everything,” he told AFP.
“What sport needs to do now is address its culture.”
He said the Russia scandal was “a necessary reminder that the fight against doping is a constant”.
“We need to ensure that we’re doing everything that we possibly can as an international sporting community to be preventative but also react to the reality.”
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha was stripped of her gold medal and given a two-year doping ban, while Botswana sprinter Amantle Montsho, who finished fourth in the 400 metres, was also banned for two years after failing a routine drugs test.
“International federations need to really adjust their strategies and stay relevant and legitimate,” said Grevemberg.
“It’s absolutely one of our highest priorities.
“There’s no tolerance. There’s no place for anything that is not fair in sport. Fair competition is critical and without that you ruin it for everyone.”