Clean Sport

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Coach Clean Sport FAQ's

What are my clean sport responsibilities as a triathlon coach?

UKAD suggest that it is essential for coaches to:

  • Develop a coaching environment that nurtures a culture of personal excellence rather than win at all costs
  • Develop positive values and beliefs in all athletes you coach and any other athlete support personnel you work with
  • Ensure athletes are aware of the principle of strict liability 
  • Know what the 11 anti-doping rule violations are and how they apply to you and your athletes 
  • Be able to act as an athlete representative during a test 
  • Ask if you are unsure before advising athletes 
  • Know the risks of athletes using supplements 
  • Protect the integrity of sport, report anything suspicious either directly to UK Anti-Doping or via the 24-hour confidential phone line To speak to somebody at UKAD please email protectyoursport@reportdoping.com or call +44 (0) 8000 32 23 32

An athlete has asked me a question about the prohibited list and I'm unsure about the answer, what should I do?

If you are not sure about the answer to any clean sport question, be honest and tell the athlete this, but let them know you will find out. You can direct queries to British Triathlon at cleansport@britishtriathlon.org or call +44 (0) 1509 226 163. Alternatively you can speak to somebody at UKAD by emailing ukad@ukad.org.uk or calling +44 (0) 20 7842 3450.

I want to find out more about Anti-doping and clean sport, what can I do?

A good place to start is by getting to know our clean sport pages on the British Triathlon website as well as researching the topic via the UKAD website.

There are a number of UKAD training courses that are available to help you enhance your knowledge about clean sport.

Accredited Anti-Doping Advisor Course: This course is free to take and should only take a couple of hours of your time. An Advisor plays an essential role in informing athletes and their athlete support personnel (ASP) about the values of clean sport and important anti-doping information. The programme is a step-by-step learning module which explains the role of the Advisor, the principles of clean sport and all the essential anti-doping information. To keep this up to date, this must be retaken every two years. Click here to register for the course.

As a coach, can I receive a sanction?

In short, yes. Rule violations are not only applicable to athletes. Coaches or athlete support personnel could be liable for violations such as tampering with the doping control process or trafficking banned substances.

Committing an Anti-doping Rule Violation (ADRV) means that an athlete, coach or athlete support person could be liable for a sanction which may include a ban from the sport. The sanction for intentional cheating is 4 years for the first offence and there is less leniency for carelessness – you are likely to receive a 2-year or more ban for inadvertent doping.

 Find out about all of the ADRV’s and possible consequences here.


There are 11 Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs). All 11 apply to athletes, two also apply to athlete support personnel and five also apply to athlete support personnel and other persons. 

Apply to athletes only

  • Presence

  • Use or Attempted Use

  • Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection

  • Whereabouts failures

Apply to athletes and athlete support personnel

  • Possession

  • Administration

Apply to athletes, athlete support personnel and other persons

  • Tampering or Attempted Tampering

  • Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking

  • Complicity or Attempted Complicity

  • Prohibited Association

  • Acts by an Athlete or Other Person to Discourage or Retaliate Against Reporting to Authorities

I'm concerned that an athlete I coach may be taking Performance Enhancing Drugs. What should I do?

You can anonymously report any information or concerns related to doping you can call the confidential Crimestoppers Report Doping in Sport Hotline on +44 (0) 8000 32 23 32 or you can submit information via a secure online form. Alternatively, you can contact the UKAD Intelligence and Investigations Team at protectyoursport@reportdoping.com

During the testing procedure what is my role? 

When an athlete is required for a drugs test, athletes have the right to be accompanied by a representative of their choice to the doping control station. As a coach, you may be requested to be their representative, and therefore may accompany the athlete. You are under no obligation to accompany the athlete.

During the test you would observe the Doping Control Officer, rather than the athlete directly during the sample collection. This is to ensure the procedure is carried out correctly. 

This is only if the athlete selects you to be their representative.

What type of athletes get tested?

All members including Youth, Age-Group and recreational athletes are bound by the British Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules (the UK Anti-Doping Rules) which specify that any athlete at any level in the UK could be tested at any time. For further information on this testing programme please visit the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) website.

Elite and Age-Group athletes competing in World Triathlon and Europe Triathlon Championships are also bound by the World Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules whereby all athletes are subject to the World Triathlon test distribution plan.

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