Former Triathlon World Champion Non Stanford joined local triathletes at the Brownlee Centre in Leeds today to help celebrate UK Anti Doping’s Clean Sport Week and highlight the work being done by British Triathlon to educate athletes on clean sport.
The 29 year-old who was born in Wales but lives and trains in the city took part in a training session with club athletes and talked to them about her experiences of being a clean athlete and the importance of education programmes for athletes from grassroots through to the elite level of sport.
Above: Non Stanford joins UKAD and British Triathlon to celebrate Clean Sport Week.
This year’s Clean Sport Week is focused on clean sport education and is being backed by a number of current and former high profile athletes including England Fly-Half George Ford, Nile Wilson, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, and Dame Katherine Grainger along with along with more than 30 national governing bodies of sport, the British Olympic Association, British Paralympic Association, Wimbledon, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), and UK Sport.
British Triathlon have lauched a number of recent education programmes for athletes at all levels of the sport including a webinar programme for over 3,000 Age Group triathletes between 18 and 80 offering advice and guidance on a range of different issues including supplement use, nutrition and medication.
Andy Salmon, British Triathlon, Chief Executive said: “UKAD’s Clean Sport Week is a great opportunity to profile the ongoing commitment our athletes and staff make in ensuring a fair playing field in sport.
“Education is a primary focus of our clean sport strategy and it’s fantastic to be able to shine a light on the developments we’ve made to expand the resources available to our grass roots and Age Group community in the past 12 months.”
Non Stanford, the 2013 ITU Triathlon World Champion said: “Clean sport is not just about elite athletes and sportspeople. People who take part in sport at all levels need to understand the values of clean sport and the importance of knowing what you are putting into your body. I’m really proud of the work that my sport is doing in this area and it is great to know that the guys here today have access to that education and know where to turn to for advice and support.”
Today’s event took place on the day that polling conducted for Clean Sport Week revealed the majority of British adults and who exercise and use supplements do not seek medical advice band are potentially putting their health at risk.
The You Gov survey showed that 87% of British adults who exercise and take supplements do not seek advice from a doctor, pharmacist or dietician.
Nicole Sapstead, UKAD Chief Executive said: “We believe there is a vital public debate that needs to take place around the growing supplement culture in the UK and the survey results highlight this. These results show a huge percentage of British adults do not seek any advice from a healthcare professional before taking supplements, and many also take a cocktail of products.
“Sport’s governing bodies (NGBs) in the UK play a vital role in delivering anti-doping education, including helping athletes reduce the risks from using supplements, and we are delighted to be working so closely with British Triathlon on their programme, and during Clean Sport Week.”
Britain’s most famous triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have also backed this week’s initiative. The brothers, both from Leeds, have released videos as part of Clean Sport Week.
Alistair Brownlee commented: “Educating people about clean sport is vital and should be available to all athletes. Having the right advice on nutrition is so important to make sure you’re consuming the right things to fuel in your body, both in terms of training and competition. It is also about being aware of what’s around you in terms of what’s high risk.”
Jonny Brownlee added: “Clean Sport Week is important for two reasons; firstly to educate athletes at all levels in terms what they put into their bodies and secondly, to educate the general public about what athletes go through.”
“As an athlete, you want to compete on a level playing field. People win because they train hard.”
To find out more about Clean Sport Week visit ukad.org.uk/cleansportweek2 or join in the conversation using #CleanSportWeek
